All eyes have been on Trixie Mattel ever since she burst onto Season 7 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The fan-favorite drag queen, entertainer, and entrepreneur is known for her dark sense of humor and an over-the-top style that’s best described as half Barbie and half birthday clown.

Ever since taking home the crown on “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” in 2018, everything she has touched has turned to gold, elevating her unforgettable likeness into a multi-million-dollar business empire through merchandising deals, a bestselling book, multiple country-pop albums, internet shows, stage performances, documentaries, a flourishing makeup line, and even a campy Palm Springs real estate venture called the Trixie Motel.

The only question is, what will the multi-hyphenate do next?

What is Trixie Mattel’s net worth?

As of January 2024, celebrity net worth websites peg Mattel’s net worth to be around $10 million.

Mattel may have been shown the door in Season 7 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” only to later return and win Season 3 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” with a tear-the-house-down lip-synch performance of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball,” but Mattel’s business savvy has always catapulted her ahead of the pack. In fact, she is considered to be one of the most successful drag queens in history — second only to RuPaul — due to Mattel’s seemingly endless creative pipeline, including a successful line of professional makeup called Trixie Cosmetics. 

“Some people say that ‘Drag Race’ is about glory and immortalizing yourself in the Hall of Fame,” Mattel told Entertainment Weekly, “For me, it's about shaking RuPaul down for her money.”

True to her word, Mattel cashed in on her “Drag Race” win by releasing her second album, “One Stone,” the night of the broadcast. The album, which would be named one of the “Best of 2018” by Billboard magazine, was just one outlet for her many talents, and showcased her adept sense of timing.

Trixie Mattel’s early life and introduction to drag

Brian Michael Firkus, the force behind Trixie Mattel, was born on August 23, 1989, in Silver Cliff, Wisconsin, a small town near the Canadian border. His mother, Val, was a Native American of Ojibwe descent; he never knew his father.

When Firkus was 10, his mother remarried, but tragically, his alcoholic stepfather was physically and emotionally abusive. In interviews, Firkus revealed that his stage name, “Trixie,” was actually a subversion of an insult his stepfather gave him whenever he acted feminine. “Mattel” came from his love of all things Barbie.

Related: RuPaul's net worth: Everything to know about the cultural icon and force behind 'Drag Race'

When Firkus was 15, social services placed him to live with his grandparents. His grandfather, a country singer, had a tremendously positive influence on his life; he taught Firkus how to play guitar and inspired his “deep, dark sense of humor.”

After high school, Firkus studied musical theater at the Peck School of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He planned on becoming a songwriter, but his life took on a new direction at a midnight showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” when one of his friends called out sick, prompting Mattel to dress in drag.

Firkus realized he could earn more money from drag shows than he ever could as a country singer, and so he started going by the stage name Trixie Mattel and using she/her pronouns. 

Mattel became a fixture on Milwaukee’s drag scene at LaCage NiteClub, where she developed her signature look, which was like a larger-than-life Barbie doll, clad in pink from head to stilettos and adorned with a voluminous blond bouffant — and even more dramatic makeup. “What if I was like a toy with a drawstring on the back?” he asked the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Mattel’s “life in plastic aesthetic” drew quite a crowd at her performances at the LaCage NiteClub — even the city’s mayor at the time, Tom Barrett, could be seen in the audience. It’s also where Mattel first met Bebe Zahara Benet, who won Season 1 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” She told the budding diva to “keep doing drag, it will take you anywhere,” and that was all the inspiration Mattel needed. Soon, she would be headlining shows in Madison, Chicago, and Minneapolis before submitting her audition tape to “Drag Race.”

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Trixie Mattel’s solo ventures in music and comedy

In between her appearances on Season 7 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and Season 3 of “RuPaul’s All Stars” in 2015, Mattel cashed in on her growing popularity by embarking on a nationwide comedy tour, “Trixie Mattel: Ages 3 and Up,” followed by the “Now with Moving Parts” and the “Super Bowl Cut” tours. She also appeared as herself on “American Horror Story: Roanoke,” and was a guest on “Larry King Now” in 2018.

Lest we forget that Mattel was first and foremost a singer/songwriter — she released her first studio album “Two Birds” in May 2017, and it hit #16 on the Billboard Folk charts. Mattel was praised for her ability to convey longing and heartbreak in a 23-minute downtempo format.

Her video for “Mama Don’t Make Me Put on That Dress Again” featured actor Leslie Jordan and even provided a commentary on dressing in drag.

In fact, Mattel revealed in an interview with the Houston Chronicle that she found the process of dressing up to be uncomfortable. “It's awful. I'm in a full corset and pads and giant wigs,” she told them, but added that she does it out of respect for her audience, so that they, in turn, can believe in her.

In addition to her post-"Drag Race” release of “One Stone” in 2017, which hit number 10 on Billboard’s Independent album charts, Mattel released a Christmas album, “Homemade Christmas,” in 2017. Her next album, “Barbara” came out in 2020. It had more of an electronic sound yet still rang true to Mattel’s folk roots. In 2021, she released an album of covers called “Full Coverage Vol. 1,” which was followed in 2022 by “The Blonde & Pink Albums,” a double album that showcased more of an upbeat, poppy vibe.

The Washington Post praised Mattel for “zeroing in on the importance of lyricism,” and Jimmy Kimmel invited her to perform on his talk show, “Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel” — the first time for a drag queen, ever. This album cracked the Top 20 on the Billboard Heatseekers charts, although none of her albums would gain major mainstream commercial appeal.

That didn’t matter to Mattel, though; she told Billboard in an interview that she wished she could quit doing drag and move to the woods where she could write songs for her favorite female singers, Miley Cyrus and Kacey Musgraves. “That would be like doing drag without having to get into drag myself,” she said.

Trixie’s adventures with Katya Zamolodchikova

Mattel gained further renown from her collaborative efforts. In 2016, she teamed up with fellow “Drag Race” contestant, Katya Zamolodchikova, to star in “UNHhhh,” a YouTube series that was produced by RuPaul’s production partner, World of Wonder. The popular duo, who were also friends in real life, went on to co-write a book, “Trixie and Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood,” which made it onto the New York Times Bestseller list.

In 2017, they premiered “The Trixie and Katya Show,” which was produced by Viceland, but the first season was cut short when Zamolodchikova suffered a breakdown and relapse into methamphetamine addiction, leaving the show mid-season to attend a rehab clinic in Arizona. 

Upon her return in 2018, the duo starred in “Trixie and Katya’s High School Reunion,” a theatrical parody of the 1997 film “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion.” During the Covid-19 pandemic, they filmed “Trixie and Katya Save the World” from their homes as well as a podcast, “The Bald & the Beautiful.”

View the original article to see embedded media.

Trixie Cosmetics: A revolutionary makeup brand

Endlessly entrepreneurial, Mattel entered the makeup business by launching Trixie Cosmetics on May 1, 2019. It featured a line of professional eyeshadows, bronzers, blushes, lip glosses, and makeup brushes packaged in eye-catching colors. Trixie herself provided tutorials on her website and YouTube channel. 

The cruelty-free cosmetics line was designed “to make everyone feel like a star,” and it was groundbreaking in that it didn’t cater solely to cis women like most makeup brands did. Mattel frequently collaborated with “Drag Race” contestants and featured a “Red Scare” collab with Katya. A portion of every sale was donated to a charitable cause, such as the Bee Conservancy.

Mattel gets meta with “Moving Parts”

In April 2019, “Moving Parts,” a documentary about Mattel’s life after winning “Drag Race All Stars,” was released. Produced by Mattel’s boyfriend, filmmaker David Silver, it chronicled her “Moving Parts” comedy tour as well as the highs and lows she achieved as an artist.

The documentary made its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and received a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It was followed up with a single of the same name, and later, a soundtrack.

The Trixie Motel

In 2021, Mattel and Silver embarked on what might be their biggest project yet: Renovating a 1960s-era motel in Palm Springs, California. Naturally, they documented the process via video through a Discovery+ series called “Trixie Motel” that was produced by Drew and Jonathan Scott of “The Property Brothers,” who also appeared on the show.

Formerly known as Ruby Montana’s Coral Sands Inn, the seven-room property sits in the historic Las Palmas neighborhood of Palm Springs, just a few blocks from downtown. Upon seeing the motel for the first time, Silver knew it would be the perfect place for Mattel: For starters, it was pink.

Mattel told Out Magazine that she paid $1.9 million to purchase the motel and about $500,000 to rehab it, using retro-modern design touches and a groovy color palette. Aptly named rooms belie their decor: There’s the “Yeehaw Cowgirl Suite,” the “Flower Power Suite” and the “Oh Honeymoon Suite,” the largest on the property, a mellow mix of yellows and ochers accented with honeycomb motifs.

You don’t even have to stay overnight to lounge on a cabana by the see-and-be-seen pool, which is tiled in a checkerboard pattern of white and bubblegum pink. Guest passes are available daily by contacting the Motel’s Events department.

“Trixie Motel” is available for streaming on the Discovery Plus and Max channels.

The Trixie Mattel Doll

Naturally, Trixie Mattel inspired a doll of her own likeness, but with a price tag of $145, it’s more like a collector’s item than a toy. The limited-edition, 12” Barbie-style doll comes from Integrity Toys, a Maryland-based, family-owned business that strives for diversity and representation in the toy industry.

Mattel wears a mod-inspired floral dress, along with a white pleather belt, oversized earrings, and white go-go boots. She carries a guitar as well as miniature replicas of three of her albums and comes with a stand to display her fabulousness.

Trixie Mattel’s personal life

In 2016, Mattel was introduced to David Silver, her current partner, by a mutual friend. Silver, who had worked as a production assistant on “Batman Begins” with Christian Bale and “The Break-Up” starring Jennifer Aniston, has also produced indie films like “Kittie: Spit In Your Eye” and “Please Baby Please,” a thriller featuring Demi Moore.

Although the couple is very private, Silver has been known to surprise Mattel on her YouTube channel and is also featured on “Trixie Motel.” Mattel told Billboard Silver has been “instrumental in helping me build my career, and I don’t know where I’d be without him.”

Read More