During the September 29 episode of Dancing with the Stars drag veteran Monét X Change experienced an unforeseen beauty glitch: her face began to shed skin after a recent chemical peel. The queen, in the audience to support former co-star Maura Higgins, joked that she felt like a reptile on the red carpet, yet she stayed put to cheer the competition. The incident quickly became a talking point, highlighting both the physical demands of her post-surgical routine and her unwavering commitment to friends.
Monét has openly discussed the pre-show preparation that led to the episode. After undergoing a hair-transplant procedure, she received a chemical peel to smooth her skin, and a nurse warned her that flaking could appear mid-week and subside by Friday. When the shedding began on Tuesday, she sent a photo to the nurse for reassurance and decided to stick to her original plan, reasoning that the show’s lighting would mask any minor imperfections.
DWTS fallout and the queen’s quick recovery
While seated in the studio audience, Monét felt a sliver of skin detach from her cheek, prompting a brief bathroom retreat where she discovered a patchwork of peeling across her face. Undeterred, she returned to her seat, humorously comparing herself to a lizard shedding its tail. Fellow attendees noted that she appeared slightly “different,” but the queen’s charisma remained intact, and she continued to shout encouragement to Higgins and professional dancer Mark Ballas as they performed a quickstep on “Yacht Rock Night.”
The episode concluded with the pair earning a respectable 22 out of 30 points, while Monét’s cameo added an unexpected layer of drama to the night’s entertainment. Her candid admission about the peeling, shared later on the Sibling Rivalry podcast, turned a potentially embarrassing moment into a relatable anecdote about body maintenance and the pressures of public appearances.
High Heels Bad Knees lands at Just For Laughs Toronto
Just days after the DWTS episode, Monét pivoted to comedy, bringing her newly minted stand-up show High Heels Bad Knees to the Just For Laughs Toronto festival on October 3. The hour-long performance at the Bluma Appel Theatre blends rapid-fire jokes, personal storytelling, and reflections on fifteen years of drag. In the routine, she jokes about “functional but fragile” joints, a nod to the physical toll of high-heeled performance, while also delving into how drag reshaped her understanding of gender expression.
During promotional interviews, Monét urged Toronto audiences to bring Canadian coins—loonies and toonies—to the show, promising to haul them straight to the bank as a playful reminder of her “tough as a Chevy truck” attitude. The show was praised for its blend of humor and vulnerability, showcasing the queen’s ability to disarm a crowd of “judgmental, drunk homosexuals” with razor-sharp wit while celebrating the transformative power of drag.
Orlando leg of the High Heels Bad Knees tour
The Toronto stop is part of a larger 2026 tour that lands in Orlando on October 9-10 at the Funny Bone Comedy Club. Over four shows, Monét delivers an unfiltered take on adulting, describing her joints as “barely functional” and riffing on topics ranging from “package pirates” to “moist middle seats.” Fans can expect the same high-energy delivery that earned her acclaim at festivals like Edinburgh Fringe and Netflix’s Is a Joke.
Beyond the comedy circuit, Monét’s résumé includes a victory on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4 a Miss Congeniality award from season 10, and notable television credits such as The Traitors and Survival of the Thickest. Her multi-hyphenate career—spanning drag, opera, R&B, and podcasting—underscores why her stand-up shows continue to attract sold-out crowds across North America.
Whether shedding skin on live television or shedding jokes on a comedy stage, Monét X Change proves that resilience, humor, and a pair of high heels can turn any mishap into a moment of triumph.
