Roxy Wood is the queen of drag bingo

Roxy Wood (@foxxyroxywood) is a dynamic drag queen, actress, and entertainer who views drag as “an over-exaggeration, a playful party, [and] an extension of whatever the hell you want it to be!” In addition to lending her acting chops to film and television roles, Roxy is the host of her own bingo show called Roxy’s Got Balls Bingo, which she performs both virtually on Zoom and live at California’s Hermosa Beach.  

Roxy’s passion for entertainment and performing started early. “I was always in chorus. I was always in drama. I just enjoyed it,” Roxy tells In The Know. Her enduring love of the stage helped shape her identity as both a performer and overall individual. “I think for me, the trans and drag journey kind of happened at the same time,” Roxy tells In The Know. “It wasn’t necessarily like this big epiphany to become Roxy Wood. It [was] just kind of naturally who I always was.” 

Roxy’s talent for performing likely came in handy as a military child acclimating to new places such as Japan, Virginia, and Michigan, among others. However, growing up with the constant relocation, in addition to homophobic, transphobic, and racist bullying from classmates, was an isolating experience. Yet, these setbacks reinforced Roxy’s gratitude for her parents’ support. “Even though they might not have understood what I was going through, cause Lord knows I didn’t, they were always the first people in the freakin’ office to be like, ‘Who’s bullying my child?’”

Roxy learned from her parents’ advocacy to keep moving forward. Reflecting on her journey fills Roxy with immense pride and gratitude. “This life that I have now, it’s like, who’d have thunk it? It’s amazing,” she admits. 

Roxy’s adaptability skills proved beneficial when the venue for her bingo show shut down during Covid-19. “We ended up getting this opportunity to do a virtual gig which was a blessing in disguise because I learned how to do everything on my own,” Roxy tells In The Know. 

The transition from IRL to online led Roxy to create her own show known as Roxy’s Got Balls Bingo. Roxy says the groundwork for her show is “more about just having fun and interacting and meeting new people that you would never really come across. You just get to lose yourself and have fun.” 

But Roxy’s drag persona doesn’t stop at bingo night, admitting that her personal identity and drag persona are intrinsically intertwined. “I got my name legally changed to Roxy Wood when I was 21 years old,” Roxy tells In The Know. “I didn’t know what that was going to become, but the thing was, it was like, I need to do something to become who I am and feel more of myself.” Her first exposure to drag was seeing RuPaul on TV, and it left an indelible mark on Roxy, who recalls noticing, “I don’t know what she is, but I want to be her!’” 

Around the same time Roxy discovered RuPaul and drag, she performed in a production of the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show. “When that was happening, I was playing female roles,” she shares. Performing as female characters, trans characters, and drag characters on-stage and on-screen culminates her persona as “a hybrid of trans and drag.” 

When it comes to her performances, Roxy gives it her all. As much as she loves “being in front of big audiences” and entertaining a crowd, Roxy notes the importance of maintaining a balance between life on-stage and off-stage. “The best way to describe it [is] like Diana Prince versus Wonder Woman,” Roxy explains. “She’s chill, puts on her glasses, and then she spins around about 2 or 3 times, and bam! That’s how I do it as well.” 
Not wanting to be confined by labels, Roxy doesn’t limit herself when it comes to specific communities. “I feel like I fit in anywhere, and that’s fine,” Roxy tells In The Know. “As long as I can show up where I need to show up, as long as I’m able to comfortably live the way I live, that’s really all that matters to me.”

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