Alexis Michelle

Alexander J. Michaels (born October 16, 1983), stage name Alexis Michelle, is an American drag queen and singer who came to international attention on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. As of 2019, she stars in the TLC transformational makeover television series Dragnificent as the makeup and body image expert. She released her debut album, Lovefool, in 2018.

Early life
Michaels was raised on Long Island. He attended the Interlochen Center for the Arts and received a BFA in musical theatre from the University of Michigan.

He started doing drag when he was 10 years old and had paid professional gigs starting in 2003. His cousin is singer Lisa Loeb. He is of Romanian-Jewish descent. He comes from the same drag mother as season 10 contestant Dusty Ray Bottoms. He was seen wearing a Dusty T-shirt in the workroom in one of the episodes of season nine, and Bottoms wore an Alexis T-shirt in season 10. He auditioned for Drag Race eight times before being selected for season nine.

Career
She originated a role in the one-act campy comedy show, Rags to B***hes: A Battle of Wits & Wigs. Alexis Michelle was announced as one of fourteen contestants competing on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race on February 2, 2017. She was the winner of the annual "Snatch Game" challenge in episode six, portraying Liza Minnelli. She was in the bottom two in the comedy challenge two episodes later and eliminated Farrah Moan to a lip sync of Dolly Parton's "Baby I'm Burning". In episode eleven, she was in the bottom two again with Peppermint, and lost a lip sync to the Village People's "Macho Man", placing Michelle in fifth.

She frequently performs at the Feinstein/54 Below cabaret with her show about Broadway "Alexis, I Am!".

Michelle appeared with BeBe Zahara Benet, Jujubee and Thorgy Thor in the TLC show Drag Me Down the Aisle which aired on March 9, 2019. The special was subsequently given a full series order under the new name Dragnificent! premiered in April 2020. In 2023, she competed on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, and placed fourth overall.

In 2024, Michelle performed the role of Albin in the Barrington Stage Company production of La Cage aux Folles.

Michelle is the drag mother of Jan Sport, who placed eighth on the twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Music
Michelle teamed with Sasha Velour, Aja and Peppermint for the single "C.L.A.T." in April 2017.

Michelle released her ten-track debut album, Lovefool, on May 11, 2018. A music video for the single of the same name, a cover of the 1996 song by The Cardigans, was available on May 17, 2018.