Drag Race season 17 is proving to have one of the most dynamic casts in the shows lauded herstory, which means every exit feels like a loss. But perhaps this weeks shantay hit the hardest as walking charisma bomb and talking head extraordinaire Kori King sashayed out of the Werk Room and signed her name on the mirror. But of course, this Boston-based queen went out with a bang. Or rather with a smooch. All season long, fans have watched as Kori and Lydia Butthole Kollins struck up a Werk Room romance that culminated with a kiss as the two lovers and rivals faced off in a lip sync for your life. It was all very dramatic. But it was also in keeping with a queen who stomped into the Werk Room in her tacky drag and immediately began snatching focus. While she might not have walked away with the crown, one things for certain: shes a winner, baby. Kori left the competition not only with a boyfriend (yes, theyre still together) but with a devoted fan base who lived for her antics on the show and are living even more for her presence online. As of this writing, Kori is number one on Cameo, where shes pumping out the most delightful deranged messages, sometimes dressed as her season 17 sister Suzie Toot, at other times as Michael Jackson. What a time to be alive. PRIDE caught up with Kori to talk about her time on Drag Race, the tension with Hormona Lisa, being called out by Mama Ru over her shoes, and, of course, that kiss on the main stage. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kori King (@koriking)PRIDE: Congratulations on season 17! Youve been serving the charisma like you are the C of this season. Youve made me laugh, your shade has been incredible, and I dont know what were gonna do without your talking heads! KORI KING: I mean me too. I cant wait to watch the rest of the season. Im curious, as youre watching it back, how are you feeling about your time on the show?I feel great. I like every single thing I said, everything I did. I dont think I would take much back. I love it. Maybe Im just a narcissist. I love watching this season. Im obsessed.We love a queen that stands on business! But you say you wouldnt take much back. Is there a moment you would?I have bad taste. Thats obvious. I love tacky, tacky drag. So I was buying stuff that I like, and looking back, gosh darn it, I should have just got drag that I dont like, that they would have loved and I would have been fine. Everyones like, Oh my god, I loved your black crow look. I was like, I fucking hated that. I felt so ugly in it. I felt hideous. But I should have just bought my whole package that looked like that, and that would have been so much better. Thats the only thing I regret. But other than that, no, I dont regret anything. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kori King (@koriking)Im glad you were yourself. I want to meet the real you from day one!Thats how I feel! Im gonna wear this on the show because thats why I wear it on tour. There are some girls, in seasons now and past, that will wear these huge, elaborate outfits, and then when they get to the club, they never wearing that again. Theyre wearing the same shit Im wearing. So Im like, You just lied. You lied for 16 episodes. You played us. Its a facade, because all these runways you have, you aint wearing them when we see you. So I didnt want to be that girl. Whatever, maybe I coulda.I personally lived, because what I want is the real Kori King experience, and thats what we got! But one thing I dont know if we totally got on the show was an understanding of your sense of humor, which really has been shining on your social media. Do you feel like Drag Race just wasnt the right platform for your kind of humor? I feel like this happens with any show. It doesnt truly capture everyones nuances. [Its] not just me, just everyone in the cast. Maybe thats the design or time of the episode, or we cant fit everything in. Like Sam [Star], for instance, I feel like just now in the season, people are realizing how funny Sam is, because Sam is so funny Now that the competition is dwindling, youre just able to see it. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kori King (@koriking)You also have such a big personality, which initially intimidated the girls when you walked into the Werk Room. How did that feel? Correct?If you do have a huge, big, loud personality, people are gonna immediately look at you as competition. Youre walking in and being big and loud with this huge wig and this crazy huge clown body. Thats a drag queen, drag queen.Speaking of walking into the Werk Room, you reallywerent featuring Miss Hormona Lisa right away, and I didnt really understand what happened there, and why you had that instant tension. I didnt truly hate her. Hate is crazy. Everybody in the comments were always acting like I was over here wanting to, like, hit her with a stick or something, but no. When she first walked in it was just a vibe that I just did not like. It was like a, You guys are lucky Im here type of vibe. But you have to get to know her to understand thats kind of her schtick. Thats her sense of humor. Once you get that, its fine. But the first minute, I was like, Oh, now, girl, were done. Uh-uh, chuck it in the bucket. Im done. Now. Im like, Oh yeah, shes cool.Fair! Obviously, I love this entire cast. This cast is just so incredible Really?Yeah!Even Suzie? Im playing. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kori King (@koriking)[Laughs] This is why I love you. Im gonna miss you on my TV for moments just like this. Speaking of Miss Suzie Toot, what did she think of your homage to her in your Cameos? Suzie is one of my closest friends in the season. So I was like, Oh, this would be so funny if I get into Suzie Toot drag. I got into it, and I FaceTimed her right when I was done, and she gagged. It was so funny. Then doing the cameos, at first I was trying to earnestly do Suzie Toots voice. I was trying to talk like her, and then as the Cameos went on, it slowly just turned into Mickey Mouse. I dont know why.Thats so funny. Speaking of funny, can we talk about Ru with the shoes? Whats the tea with the shoes? Have they reached out to you? Are you getting a deserved collab with them? How did you feel at that moment?Okay, so they actually have reached out. Yeah, the magic is happening. I got them because you can only bring so much stuff to Drag Race. I have a dainty size 15 shoe. So I was like, how many shoes can I truly pack? Not only find, but pack and fit in these suitcases. So I brought three or four pairs of the same exact shoe but in different colors. Then I brought other shoes too, but I was like, what if I have to lip sync? I cant lip-sync in these shoes, so I just kept wearing the same shoe over and over again. In my head, I was like, I want to have this shoe on because if I have to lip sync, I want to be ready.When Ru called me out I was like, Oh, my God! So then the next week, I changed them, but I was like, I was like these, theyre funny!Honestly, when moments like that happen you just gotta lean in!Oh, thats what I did. When he called me out on it for the Rusical. I was like, You know what would be funny? If I fucking wear them again. So I wore them again, and then everybodys lookin at me like I cant believe that bitch fucking wore those shoes again. I was like, Its a bit, bitch. I know he doesnt want me to wear them. Thats why Im wearing them.Ok, we have to talk about the lip sync and the kiss. Was it spontaneous? Was it planned? Do you hope it might result in a double shantay? It was not planned. It was very much feel the vibe. Its called Kiss Me Deadly. Hello, it was common sense. [At] the end of the song, we looked at each other, like, okay... this is what it needs to give. Im glad that everybody lives for it.Did I feel like it was going to be a double shantay? No, no, no. They were saving bitches all season. There have been, like, 1,800 saves. Enough. If another double save happens, bitch, please end the season at that point. Were at like episode 37, ok? We could have filmed like five All Stars by now. So, no, I did not feel like it was going to be a double save. My casket was closed. I fully knew I was going home. I did not want to send Lydia home either. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kori King (@koriking)I understand you guys are still together, yeah?Yes, we are. Yeah, yeah, yeah.The Drag Race fandom is pretty intense. How are you guys protecting relationships from everybody wanting to have an opinion? I really dont read comments. I really dont. I dont typically care. Also, I follow a whole bunch of fans on Twitter. So my feed is just all stan accounts. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sticki Honey (@stickihoneyy)To be honest, with Plane Jane in your life, what could a stranger possibly say that could hurt more?Do you know how I was raised? This is how we talk to each other. If you think I care what some random person says about me me and Plane bicker every day, so, yeah, I could care less.