Kelly Mantle
American actress, comedian and musician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kelly Leroy Mantle (born July 9, 1976) is an American actor, singer-songwriter, comedian, musician, drag queen, trans-icon and reality television personality. Mantle appeared as a contestant on the sixth season of the reality TV show RuPaul's Drag Race.
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July 9, 1976
Kelly Mantle | |
|---|---|
Mantle in 2014 | |
| Born | Kelly Leroy Mantle[1] July 9, 1976 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US |
| Education | University of Oklahoma (BFA) |
| Occupations | Actor, drag queen, singer-songwriter, musician, comedian |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Family | Mickey Mantle (uncle) |
| Musical career | |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, drums |
Early life
Mantle was born to Larry James and Linda Lea Mantle[2] in Oklahoma City but grew up in New Cordell, Oklahoma.[3] She has a brother, Garrette. She identifies as being of Cherokee descent from Oklahoma.[4]
Mantle's uncle was professional baseball player Mickey Mantle, who played for the New York Yankees.[5][6] Mantle graduated with a BFA in Theatre from the University of Oklahoma.[7] She is the second Drag Race contestant of Native American descent, following Stacy Layne Matthews of season 4, who is Lumbee. She was followed by Trixie Mattel of season 7 and All Stars 3, who is Ojibwe, and Shuga Cain of season 11, who is Apache.
Career
After college, Mantle went to Chicago to begin a career as an actor. She acted in plays such as The Convention and Royal Flush.[8][9] Lone Star/Laundry & Bourbon was the first production by OKRA Theatre, a theater company started by Mantle and her friend Tracy Parks, who directed the play.[10][11]
In 1998, Mantle starred in the Chicago production of Charles Busch's play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom.[12] After two years of living in Chicago, she moved to Los Angeles.[10] She later auditioned for the Los Angeles production of Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, where she was scouted and signed by a talent agent.[13]
In Los Angeles, Mantle became a member of the band Sex with Lurch, which was formed by singer Robbie Quinne and guitarist Bernard Yin. As part of the group, Mantle used the stage name "Brandy Warhol". The group disbanded in December 2002. Mantle later joined Quinne's follow-up band, the Barbarellatones.[10][14]
Mantle was also a member of the band Tranzkuntinental. The band was started by Charlie Paulson and Xander Smith and features drag queens Detox, Rhea Litré, Vicky Vox, and Willam Belli.[15][16]
Currently, Mantle is a member of the band the Rollz Royces with Tammie Brown and Michael Catti. Mantle and Catti have appeared in Tammie Brown's Christmas show Holiday Sparkle at Fubar in West Hollywood.[17]
In 2014 Mantle starred in Confessions of a Womanizer with Gary Busey. The film was released in 2016. Mantle, who is genderfluid, made history when the film's producers sought both supporting actor and supporting actress consideration for her performance and The Academy granted the request.[18]
Mantle starred as Sheila on both seasons of the OutTV and Amazon Prime sitcom The Browns alongside Tammie Brown[19] and in 2022 supported Trixie and Katya on their tour Trixie and Katya Live.[20]
RuPaul's Drag Race
In December 2013, Logo announced that Mantle was among fourteen drag queens who would be competing on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.[21] She was eliminated in the first episode, lip-synching to "Express Yourself" against Vivacious.[22]
The Kelly Mantle Show
On December 11, 2024 the first episode of Mantle's podcast The Kelly Mantle Show, executive produced by Trixie and Katya and hosted on the Studio71 network, was released.[23]
| No. | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Tammie Brown Spins Kelly's Head Round and Round" | December 11, 2024 |
| 2 | "Coco Peru Is Booked & Busy & Bothered" | December 18, 2024 |
| 3 | "Angeria Paris VanMicheals Serves Sweet Southern Tea" | January 1, 2025 |
| 4 | "Tammie Brown Takes Us Down to Funkytown" | January 8, 2025 |
| 5 | "Mystic & Mediums with Vicky Vox & Cheri Mancuso" | January 15, 2025 |
| 6 | "Katya, Kelly, and Cockroaches Have a Kiki" | January 22, 2025 |
| 7 | "Tammie Brown Is Back Again! Please Send Help!" | January 29, 2025 |
| 8 | "Viral Sensation: Brendan Jordan! Like You've Never Seen Her Before!" | February 5, 2025 |
| 9 | "Jinkx Monsoon Makes Kelly Mantle Swoon" | February 12, 2025 |
| 10 | "Meatball and Kelly Mantle Get Kicked Out of the Party!" | February 19, 2025 |
| 11 | "Tammie Brown Tries to Take Down The Kelly Mantle Show" | February 26, 2025 |
| 12 | "Raja Toots The Kelly Mantle Show!" | March 5, 2025 |
| 13 | "Laganja Estranja Opens Up More than Her Legs on The Kelly Mantle Show" | March 12, 2025 |
| 14 | "Latrice Royale Reveals All on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | March 19, 2025 |
| 15 | "Tammie Brown Reveals More Unsolved Mysteries on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | March 26, 2025 |
| 16 | "Plasma and Kelly Mantle Get Tipsy on Trixie!" | April 2, 2025 |
| 17 | "Willam Rocks The Kelly Mantle Show!" | April 9, 2025 |
| 18 | "Heidi N Closet Leaves Kelly Mantle Gooped and Gapped!" | April 16, 2025 |
| 19 | "Tammie Brown Has a Breakdown on The Kelly Mantle Show" | April 23, 2025 |
| 20 | "Pop Culture Anthropologist Blakely Thornton Dishes on a Poutpourri of Hot Topics with Kelly Mantle" | April 30, 2025 |
| 21 | "Jackie Beat and Sherry Vine Drop a Hot Steamy Bombshell on The Kelly Mantle Show" | May 7, 2025 |
| 22 | "Bob the Drag Queen Gets into the Groove on The Kelly Mantle Show" | May 14, 2025 |
| 23 | "Bob the Drag Queen on The Kelly Mantle Show: The Sequel" | May 21, 2025 |
| 24 | "Alien Queen Juno Birch Abducts Kelly Mantle!" | May 28, 2025 |
| 25 | "Alaska Sends Kelly Mantle $10,000 on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | June 4, 2025 |
| 26 | "Sasha Colby. Period. On The Kelly Mantle Show!" | June 11, 2025 |
| 27 | "Margaret Cho Is Live & Livid on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | June 18, 2025 |
| 28 | "Plane Jane, Kudos for Saying That, for Spilling on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | June 25, 2025 |
| 29 | "Plane Jane & Kelly Mantle: Part 2—Fasten Your Seatbelts!" | July 2, 2025 |
| 30 | "Kelly Mantle Responds to Your Q&A's for the Super Cool Crazy Extreme Birthday Episode!" | July 9, 2025 |
| 31 | "Sapphira Cristál Spills All on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | July 16, 2025 |
| 32 | "Cynthia Lee Fontaine RuVeals Cucu Confessions about Drag Race All Stars 10 on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | July 23, 2025 |
| 33 | "Monét X Change and Kelly Mantle Dismantle the Drama!" | July 30, 2025 |
| 34 | "Jimbo Brings the Circus to The Kelly Mantle Show!" | August 6, 2025 |
| 35 | "Teen Vogue Covergirl, Vivian Wilson, Takes Over The Kelly Mantle Show!" | August 13, 2025 |
| 36 | "Vanjie Spills the Tea-quila on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | August 20, 2025 |
| 37 | "Bosco Gets Whammed Up on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | August 27, 2025 |
| 38 | "Miss Benny and Buddy Keaton Take Us to Church on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | September 3, 2025 |
| 39 | "Ding! Jewels Sparkles! Ding! On The Kelly Mantle Show! Ding!" | September 10, 2025 |
| 40 | "The IMHO Kelly Mantle Show! (with Darby and Alexis)" | September 17, 2025 |
| 41 | "Kori King Wakes Up the Big One on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | September 24, 2025 |
| 42 | "Kori King and Kelly Mantle Pt 2: Into the Kori-Verse" | October 1, 2025 |
| 43 | "Tayce Goes Face to Face with Kelly Mantle!" | October 8, 2025 |
| 44 | "Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata BFF'ing on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | October 15, 2025 |
| 45 | "Lushious Massacr Dravgestigates the Transvestigation Unit on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | October 22, 2025 |
| 46 | "Luenell (The Original Bad Girl of Comedy) on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | October 29, 2025 |
| 47 | "Trixie Mattel and Kelly Mantle Get Woo Woo on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | November 5, 2025 |
| 48 | "Trixie Mattel and Kelly Mantle Part 2: The Book of RuVelations!" | November 12, 2025 |
| 49 | "Miles Heizer Serves the House Down BOOTS on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | November 19, 2025 |
| 50 | "Alaska and Kelly Mantle Are Here to Slay the Holidays!" | November 26, 2025 |
| 51 | "Nicole Paige Brooks Gets Rah Rah on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | December 3, 2025 |
| 52 | "Jasmine Masters Has Something to Say on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | December 10, 2025 |
| 53 | "Trixie Mattel, Nicole Paige Brooks, Jasmine Masters, & RPDR_NoLimbs Celebrate Our 1 Year Anniversary" | December 17, 2025 |
| 54 | "Ginger Minj Gets Wicked on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | December 24, 2025 |
| 55 | "The Kelly Mantle Show's Favorite Moments of 2025 & Happy New Year!" | December 31, 2025 |
| 56 | "Ginger Minj on The Kelly Mantle Show: Part 2 the Sequel!" | January 7, 2026 |
| 57 | "Kim Chi Serenades The Kelly Mantle Show!" | January 14, 2026 |
| 58 | "Farrah Moan Stuns The Kelly Mantle Show!" | January 21, 2026 |
| 59 | "Naysha Lopez Keeps It Real on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | January 28, 2026 |
| 60 | "Amanda Tori Meating Now in Session on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | February 4, 2026 |
| 61 | "Eureka O'Hara: The Tell-All Interview on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | February 11, 2026 |
| 62 | "Kylie Sonique Love Shows Us What She's Got on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | February 18, 2026 |
| 63 | "Scarlet Envy Is the Drama on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | February 25, 2026 |
| 64 | "Suzie Toot as Tootsie Scooter on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | March 4, 2026 |
| 65 | "The Suzie Toot and Kelly Mantle Show Act 2!" | March 11, 2026 |
| 66 | "Lady Bunny Wigs Out on The Kelly Mantle Show!" | March 18, 2026 |
Personal life
Mantle has been dating USMC veteran James Janny since around 2017.[24] For their first date, he invited her to a marine ball in Albany, Georgia, where he was stationed.[25]
Discography
Albums
- Ever Changing (2002)
- Rock-N-Glow (2004)
- Satellite Baby (2006)
Singles
| Song | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" | 2013 | Non-album single |
| "Main Event" | 2014 | RuPaul Presents: The Covergurlz |
| "Eliminated" (featuring Bownce and Wendy Ho) | Non-album single | |
| "Keyboard Courage" | 2015 | Non-album single |
Music videos
| Song | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| "Satellite Baby" | 2007 | N/a |
| "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" | 2013 | Andrew Putschoegl |
| "Main Event" | 2014 | N/a |
| "Eliminated" | Kija Manharé | |
| "Keyboard Courage" | 2015 | Gordon Cowie |
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Convent | Dickie-Boy | |
| True Rights | Cleo | ||
| Super Duper | Maddie | Short film | |
| 2002 | Superfag | Apacalipstick | Short film |
| 2004 | Straight Eye: The Movie | Herself | Short film |
| Buds for Life | Sierra Bonita | ||
| 2006 | The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down | Drag Queen | |
| 2013 | American Dream | Katrina | Post-production |
| Confessions of a Womanizer | Ginger | ||
| 2021 | The Bitch Who Stole Christmas[26] | Wistful Woman/Madelyn |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Undressed | Howie | Episode: "Love It or Leave It Again" |
| 2003 | NYPD Blue | Dan "Monika" Hoffnagle | 2 episodes |
| Nip/Tuck | Transgender Woman No. 2 | Episode: "Sofia Lorez Part II" | |
| 10-8: Officers on Duty | Raven | Episode: "Badlands" | |
| Cold Case | Drag Performer No. 2 | Episode: "A Time to Hate" | |
| Just Shoot Me! | Robert 'Nina Man Horn' | Episode: "The Goodbye Girl" | |
| 2004 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Bartender | Episode: "Ch-Ch-Changes" |
| Judging Amy | Velvet | Episode: "Order and Chaos" | |
| 2005 | George Lopez | Deep Voice Singer | Episode: "George Buys a Vow" |
| Eve | Rudy | Episode: "Moral Minority" | |
| Cuts | Peter | Episode: "Strictly Bizz-Nass" | |
| 2008 | The New Adventures of Old Christine | Sparkle | Episode: "Happy Endings" |
| 2009 | Southland | Lacey | Episode: "See the Woman" |
| 2011 | One Night Stand Up | Herself | Episode: "Dragtastic NYC" |
| Mike & Molly | Steven | Episode: "Joyce & Vince And Peaches & Herb" | |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | Kelly | Episode: "Palestinian Chicken" | |
| 2012 | Eagleheart | 'Maph | Episode: "Little Dude" |
| Rizzoli & Isles | Kitty | Episode: "Melt My Heart to Stone" | |
| The New Normal | Aubrey | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2014 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself | Season 6; 13th/14th place (2 episodes) |
| RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | 1 episode | ||
| 2016 | Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul | 1 episode | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars | Episode: "Revenge of the Queens" | ||
| 2018 | Lucifer | Donovan McCann / Cher | Episode: "Let Pinhead Sing!" |
| 2019 | Modern Family | Drag Queen | Episode: "The Last Halloween" |
| 2020–21 | The Browns | Sheila | 2 seasons |
| 2025 | Drag House Rules | Writer | Episode: "The Ghost & the Ganja" |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Love On-The-Line | Herself | Season 1, Episode 9: "The Meet-Cute Part II" | |
| 2020 | Queen With a Cause | Herself | Episode: "Palm Oil" | [27] |
| 2023 | Bodyody of Work | Herself | Episode: "Kelly Mantle Breaks Down Her Acting Career" |
Podcasts
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Eastern Standard[38] | Peter Kidde | Rupel Jones Theatre |
| Red Scare on Sunset[39] | Malcolm | Sooner Theatre | |
| The Foreigner[40] | Ellard Simms | Rupel Jones Theatre | |
| Holdenville[41] | Rupel Jones Theatre | ||
| 1995 | The Nerd[42] | Willum Cubbert | Weitzenhoffer Theatre |
| Lysistrata[43] | Weitzenhoffer Theatre | ||
| 1996 | The Convention[8] | Sammy Wilcox | The Comedy Asylum |
| 1997 | Royal Flush[9] | Camille | Athenaeum Theatre |
| Lone Star/Laundry & Bourbon[11] | Ray/Hattie | OKRA Theatre | |
| 1998 | Four Dogs and a Bone[44] | Victor | Cafe Voltaire |
| Vampire Lesbians of Sodom[12] | Madeleine | Aaah! Capella Theatre Cafe | |
| 2004 | Dear Bernard[45] | Jon Meshelle | Court Theatre |
| 2006 | Last Easter[46] | Gash | Laguna Playhouse |
| 2007 | All This, And Heaven Too[47] | Jo | Macha Theatre |
| 2008 | The Facts of Life: The Lost Episode[48] | Blair Warner | Macha Theatre |
| 2010 | The Confusion of My Illusion[49] | One-person show | Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center |
| Love, Connie[50] | Bambi | Cavern Club | |
| 2011 | Hollywood Dream Role[51] | ACME Comedy Theatre | |
| Charlie! The Death of Nancy Fullforce[48] | Kitty Glitter | Art/Works Theatre | |
| 2012 | Valley of the Dolls[52] | Sacred Fools Theater Company |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Queerty Awards | Podcast | The Kelly Mantle Show | Won | |