Nina West Explained

Nina West
Birth Name:Andrew Robert Levitt[1]
Birth Date:10 August 1978
Birth Place:Greentown, Ohio, U.S.
Education:Denison University (BA)
Occupation:Drag queen, actor, singer
Years Active:2001–present
Known For:RuPaul's Drag Race (season 11)
Miss Congeniality
Predecessor:Monét X Change
Successor:Heidi N Closet

Nina West is the stage name of Andrew Robert Levitt, an American drag queen, queer activist,[2] actor, and singer-songwriter based in Columbus, Ohio.[3] She rose to national prominence with her appearance on the eleventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race, where she placed sixth and won Miss Congeniality. In 2024, she competed in season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. She was named the Top Local Artist of 2019 by Columbus Underground.[4] Levitt has also created three EPs—Drag Is Magic, John Goodman, and The West Christmas Ever, which were all released in 2019.

Education

Levitt was raised in Greentown, Ohio. He graduated from Denison University[5] with a degree in theater.[6] He planned to pursue acting, but decided not to move to New York City, due to the September 11 attacks.[7]

Career

Levitt began dabbling in drag in 2001.[5] Nina West is the name of his drag persona. Her drag mother is Virginia West. Nina West hosts the annual "Heels of Horror" show at Axis Nightclub,[8] and has also hosted the competition "So You Think You Can Drag?"[9] In 2008, she won the Entertainer of the Year award;[10] her ensemble later inspired the singer Sia's outfit at the 2016 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.[11]

Nina West competed in the eleventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race.[12] She had previously auditioned for the show nine times, but failed to make the final cast selection. She won the third episode for his performance in the 'Diva Worship' challenge, and impersonated Sarah Sanders on the fourth episode, "".[13] In the "Snatch Game" challenge, she became the first queen in the show's history to impersonate someone from the actual original Match Game, with her impersonation of Jo Anne Worley.[14] She then won the "Dragracadabra" challenge in episode ten.[15] [16] She was eliminated in the following episode, losing a lip-sync to Silky Nutmeg Ganache.[17] [18] She was subsequently crowned Miss Congeniality in the series finale. After her elimination, a number of celebrities and public figures took to social media to voice their support for Nina West, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez[19] and Scott Hoying. Levitt reported that Rihanna sent him a private message following her elimination.[20]

A street in Columbus was named after Levitt, called "The Nina West Way".[21] [22] Nina West was interviewed with Adore Delano and Monet X Change for an episode of The View in June 2019.[23] She starred in Coaster, an animated short film directed and produced by Amos Sussigan and Dan Lund.[24] She attended the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, where she became the first person to walk the purple carpet in full drag.[25] Nina West was announced as part of the cast for the first ever season of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race, a spin-off where Drag Race alumni transform celebrities into drag queens, premiering in 2020.[26]

Since Drag Race, Levitt has starred in several commercials, with some of the brands including Pantene,[27] Pepsi,[28] and OraQuick,[29] as well as being involved in campaigns for films such as Trolls World Tour[30] and .[31] In 2019, World of Wonder announced that West was to host a children's-oriented program featuring "songs and comedy bits inspired by youth programming of the ’90s" entitled Drag Is Magic. However, as of 2023, the series is yet to be released.[32] In May 2021, the children's television channel Nickelodeon released an animated short on YouTube featuring an animated pride parade hosted by Levitt that showed a variety of diverse animal families, including those with same-sex parents and non-binary characters.[33] [34] The next month, on June 5, 2021, Nickelodeon also released an advertisement featuring Levitt to explain to children the meaning of Pride as a part of their Pride month celebration.[35]

Levitt was included in Columbus Business First "40 Under 40" list in 2018.[36] [37] He worked as a social media strategist for Axis Nightclub as of 2018 and has done social media and marketing for Union Cafe since 2013.[38] He plays Edna Turnblad in the musical Hairspray for the 2021-2022 national tour.[39]

On April 23, 2024, Levitt was announced as one of the eight contestants competing on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.[40]

Music

After her elimination, Levitt announced that she would release a children's music album, Drag Is Magic, and a comedy EP, John Goodman, by May 17, 2019.[41] She released a music video for her first single "Hucks" on May 10, 2019.

Personal life and philanthropy

Levitt lives in Columbus, Ohio.[5] He is gay and an advocate and fundraiser for the LGBTQIA community. His focuses have included HIV/AIDS testing and safe sex, marriage equality, trans rights, and childhood education. The Nina West Fund, established at The Columbus Foundation,[42] is thought to be the only "drag-queen-supported fund of its kind" in the U.S.[5] The fund has raised more than $2 million,[42] [43] supporting charities such as the ACLU of Ohio (fundamental rights), Dress for Success Columbus (career development for women), Equitas Health (focused on HIV/AIDS treatment),[44] and Kaleidoscope Youth Center (the largest LGBTQIA youth center in Ohio).[45]

In 2017, she received the Create Columbus Commission Visionary Award from the Columbus City Council and an equality award from the Human Rights Campaign Columbus chapter.[7]

In 2019 Nina West/Andrew Levitt was honored by Stonewall Columbus as the Grand Marshal of Columbus's 38th Annual Pride Festival and Parade and the City of Columbus' Steven Shellaberger Illuminator Award for her work promoting LGBTQ rights.[46]

Discography

Extended plays

Title! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"
DetailsPeak chart positions
US Kids[47] US Comedy[48]
Drag Is Magic 9 —
John Goodman
  • Released: May 17, 2019
  • Label: Producer Entertainment Group
  • Formats: Digital download
— 2
The West Christmas Ever
  • Released: November 8, 2019
  • Label: Producer Entertainment Group
  • Formats: Digital download
— 5

Singles

TitleYearAlbum
"Hucks"2019John Goodman
"Treat Yourself”rowspan="4"
"Lisa Frankenstein"
(featuring Bobby Moynihan)
"Nina the Vampire Slayer"2020
"Quarantine Dream"

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2019CoasterNinaShort film
2019Ru's Angels[49] HimselfShort film
2022Divine

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2019RuPaul's Drag RaceHimselfContestant (6th place)
2019
2019The ViewGuest
2020RuPaul's Celebrity Drag RaceMentor
2021RuPaul's Drag Race season 13Guest
2021NewsBeatCo-host[50]
2021Blue's Clues & You!Parade MC(voice)
2021Alice Nelson[51]
2023Drag Me to DinnerHimselfHulu original[52]
2024RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 9Contestant (4th Place)

Music videos

YearTitleArtistRole
2019"Scores"Kahanna MontreseCoach
"Hucks"HimselfSarah Sanders, Donald Trump
"Drag Is Magic"[54]
"Treat Yourself"
"Lisa Frankenstein"
2020"Nerves of Steel"ErasureHimself[55]

Web series

YearTitleRoleRef.
2019Whatcha Packin'Himself
2019Queen to QueenHimself
2021What's My Game?Himself[56]
2021Drag Queens ReactHimself[57]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Andrew Robert Levitt . Ancestry Institute . Ancestry . November 12, 2022.
  2. Web site: How Nina West Channeled Her Republican Childhood into Queer Activism . West . Nina . April 30, 2019 . out.com . en . September 27, 2021.
  3. Web site: Everyday heroes: Drag queen gives to LGBT charities so others don't have to feel alone . Seman . Gary Jr. . . Columbus, Ohio . en . December 15, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170827203704/http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170824/everyday-heroes-drag-queen-gives-to-lgbt-charities-so-others-dont-have-to-feel-alone . August 27, 2017 . live.
  4. Web site: The Top 10 Local Artists of 2019. December 31, 2019. December 31, 2019.
  5. News: Gay-rights advocate Nina West has long used drag-queen act to raise money for charities . The Columbus Dispatch . Mike . Wagner . January 28, 2018 . December 14, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181022232515/https://www.dispatch.com/news/20180128/gay-rights-advocate-nina-west-has-long-used-drag-queen-act-to-raise-money-for-charities . October 22, 2018 . live .
  6. Web site: Generosity Embraces Belonging: The Nina West Fund . . 2018 . Columbus Foundation.
  7. Web site: The positive impact of becoming Nina West. Clark. Joe. June 15, 2017. WCMH. en-US. December 15, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181215123935/https://www.nbc4i.com/local-news/the-positive-impact-of-becoming-nina-west_20180321074239368/1064793968. December 15, 2018. live.
  8. Web site: Review: Heels of Horror combines pop culture, Halloween. Soroka. Breanna. The Lantern. October 21, 2013. en-US. December 15, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181022232556/https://www.thelantern.com/2013/10/review-heels-horror-combines-pop-culture-halloween/. October 22, 2018. live.
  9. Web site: Photos: Weekends events for Columbus and central Ohio, September 21–23. The Columbus Dispatch. en. December 15, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181022232502/https://www.dispatch.com/photogallery/OH/20180920/PHOTOGALLERY/920009998/PH/1. October 22, 2018. live.
  10. News: Will This Lady Be a Champ?. Thurston. Susan. July 17, 2009. Tampa Bay Times. May 4, 2019. Newspapers.com.
  11. Web site: How A Drag Queen Inspired Sia's Unbelievable Coachella Costume Reveal NewNowNext. Avery April 22, 2016. Dan. Newnownext.com. December 15, 2018.
  12. Miss Vanjie rejoins RuPaul's Drag Race: See the full season 11 cast. Entertainment Weekly. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20190125020459/https://ew.com/tv/2019/01/24/rupauls-drag-race-season-11-cast/. January 25, 2019. live. January 25, 2019.
  13. Web site: RPDR S11E4: Nina West Shares Her Story Of Growing Up As A Republican While Growing Up As Gay. March 23, 2019. en. Z6mag. March 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190325144858/https://z6mag.com/arts-entertainment/rpdr-s11e4-nina-west-shares-her-story-of-growing-up-as-a-republican-while-growing-up-as-gay-1635001.html. March 25, 2019. live.
  14. Web site: Nina Levitt Made Snatch Game History on 'Drag Race'–and Here's How. April 19, 2019. Decider. en. May 10, 2019.
  15. Web site: RuPaul's Drag Race Recap: Practically Magic. Vulture.com. May 7, 2019. Matt. Rogers. May 2, 2019.
  16. 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Power Ranking Season 11: Episode 10. Billboard. May 10, 2019.
  17. Web site: The 'Drag Race' Judges Did Nina West & Miss Vanjie Dirty This Week. Blanton. Kayla. Bustle. May 10, 2019 . en. May 10, 2019.
  18. Web site: RuPaul's Drag Race Recap: Which Queen Won't Be Twinning Season 11?. Swift. Andy. May 10, 2019. TVLine. en. May 10, 2019.
  19. Web site: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sent a fan message to Drag Race star Nina West. Duffy. Nick. Pink News. en. May 10, 2019.
  20. Web site: Rihanna sends message to Nina West following Drag Race elimination. Evans. Mel. May 12, 2019. Metro. en-US. June 18, 2019.
  21. Web site: Columbus names street after RuPaul's Drag Race queen Nina West. June 12, 2019. Gay Star News. en-gb. June 13, 2019. June 13, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190613130034/https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/columbus-street-nina-west-queen/. dead.
  22. Web site: Street in the Short North to be renamed after Nina West. June 10, 2019. WBNS-10TV Columbus, Ohio Columbus News, Weather & Sports. en. June 13, 2019. June 11, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190611130432/https://www.10tv.com/article/street-short-north-be-renamed-after-nina-west-2019-jun. dead.
  23. Web site: Meghan McCain interviewed three drag queens on "The View" for Pride and people weren't having it. Gremore. Graham. June 12, 2019. queerty.com. June 13, 2019.
  24. Web site: Drag Race MVP Nina West's whimsical new short could lead to an Oscar nod. Nolfi. Joey. October 2, 2019. Ew.com. October 2, 2019.
  25. Web site: 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Contestant Nina West Makes Emmys History Walking Purple Carpet In Full Drag. Ramos. Dino-Ray. September 22, 2019. Deadline. September 22, 2019.
  26. RuPaul Announces Drag Race Spin-Off Featuring All-Celebrity Competitors. Desta. Yohana. Vanity Fair. October 22, 2019. en. October 22, 2019.
  27. News: Drag queen Nina West stars in hilarious new Pantene shampoo ad. Bollinger. Alex. March 24, 2020. lgbtqnation.com. April 4, 2020. en.
  28. News: The Morning Beat: Pepsi Digital Content Features RuPaul's Drag Queens. June 27, 2019. wearechanelq.com. April 4, 2020. en.
  29. News: Nina West Debuts 'Treat Yourself,' For Gay Men's HIV Awareness Day. Parsley. Jason. September 27, 2019. southfloridagaynews.com. April 4, 2020. en.
  30. News: Watch "Drag Race" Dolls Feel Their "Trolls" Runway Fantasy. Voss. Brandon. April 4, 2020. NewNowNext.com. April 4, 2020. en.
  31. News: Hollywood Is "Finally Catching On" to the Booming Drag Queen Economy. Kilkenny. Katie. December 3, 2019. Hollywood Reporter. April 4, 2020. en.
  32. Yvie Oddly, Nina West, more Drag Race stars getting new reality shows. July 4, 2023. Joey Nolfi. June 27, 2019. Entertainment Weekly.
  33. Web site: Artavia . David . 'Blue's Clues' rings in Pride month in new sing-along, starring drag queen Nina West, celebrating LGBTQ families . Yahoo Entertainment . June 1, 2021 . January 12, 2024.
  34. Web site: VanHoose . Benjamin . Watch the Blue's Clues Pride Parade Sing-Along with Drag Star Nina West Celebrating LGBTQ Families . People . June 1, 2021 . January 12, 2024.
  35. Web site: Dorman . Sam . 2021-06-08 . Kids' networks roll out Pride Month content: 'With imagination, I can be anything I want' . 2021-07-04 . Fox News . en-US.
  36. Web site: CBF Morning Run: Reliving a splendid night at the casino, getting to know 40 Under 40, saying LoveSac and regretting it, mixing beer and ice cream, not climbing Everest and chewing on a midnight stout (Video) . December 16, 2018 . Bizjournals.com.
  37. Web site: What to expect at HighBall this weekend, and Nina West on why you should go (photos) . December 16, 2018 . Bizjournals.com.
  38. Web site: Mantey . Jackie . July 31, 2013 . People to Watch: Activist/Ambassador/Entertainer: Andrew Levitt . May 3, 2019 . Columbus Alive.
  39. Web site: Cast & Creative. 2022-02-24. Hairspray on Tour. en-GB.
  40. Web site: Vary . Adam . 2024-04-23. 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Season 9 Queens Revealed, Will Compete for Charity for the First Time. 2024-05-11. Variety. en-US.
  41. Web site: WHAT? Two EP's? Pre-order now! . West . Nina . Twitter . May 10, 2019 . September 27, 2021.
  42. Web site: The Philanthropy of Nina West. October 10, 2017. ColumbusUnderground.com. en-US. December 15, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181215122749/https://www.columbusunderground.com/the-philanthropy-of-nina-west-ls1. December 15, 2018. live.
  43. Web site: Is this the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race season 11?. October 24, 2018. Gay Times. en-GB. December 15, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181215125114/https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/112100/this-is-the-rumoured-cast-for-rupauls-drag-race-season-11/. December 15, 2018. live.
  44. Web site: Columbus Foundation . 2018 . ColumbusFoundation.org.
  45. Web site: ABOUT – Kaleidoscope Youth Center . 2019 . Kaleidoscope Youth Center of Ohio . May 3, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190503161406/http://www.kycohio.org/about.html . May 3, 2019 . dead .
  46. Web site: 2019-06-14 . Columbus Pride Marks Culmination Of 'The Year Of Nina West' . 2024-07-07 . WOSU Public Media . en.
  47. Web site: Billboard Kid Albums June 1, 2019. Billboard. May 29, 2019.
  48. Web site: Billboard Comedy Albums June 1, 2019. Billboard. May 29, 2019.
  49. Kristen Stewart, Charlie's Angels fight evil with RuPaul's Drag Race queens in new short film. Entertainment Weekly. Nolfi. Joey. November 8, 2019. November 10, 2019.
  50. News: 'NewsBeat': Drag Queens Nina West, Bianca Del Rio & More Unite For News Show From Politicon, EP Clay Aiken. May 26, 2021. Alexandra. Del Rosario. Deadline. May 28, 2021.
  51. News: RuPaul's Drag Race Will Team with Brady Bunch Cast for Crossover Episode — Plus, Watch the First Act of All Stars 6. June 23, 2021. Keisha. Hatchett. TVLine. June 23, 2021.
  52. News: 'Drag Me To Dinner': Hulu Announces Premiere Date For Unscripted Series From Neil Patrick Harris, David Burtka. Rice. Lynette. May 1, 2023. Deadline.com. May 2, 2023. en.
  53. Drag Race queen Nina West honors iconic Edna Turnblad 'titans' who came before him with Hairspray debut. November 12, 2021. Joey. Nolfi. Entertainment Weekly. December 8, 2021.
  54. News: A fabulous collection of the RuPaul's Drag Race queens' best music videos . Nolfi . Joey . January 31, 2019 . June 9, 2019 . Entertainment Weekly . June 9, 2019 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190609100626/https://ew.com/tv/2019/01/31/rupauls-drag-race-queen-music-videos/ .
  55. Erasure . Erasure (duo) . August 11, 2020 . "Erasure - Nerves of Steel (Official Video)" . YouTube video . August 11, 2020 . August 11, 2020 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200811165143/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8NqwW0hJ9w.
  56. RuPaul's Drag Race stars Vanjie, Kameron Michaels land Gay Sex Ed series, Priyanka to quiz celebs on What's My Game?. May 16, 2021 . Joey Nolfi. . May 4, 2021.
  57. Drag Queens React: RESPECT movie trailer starring Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin. WOWPresents. June 4, 2021. June 4, 2021.

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