Madison Hinton, known professionally as TS Madison is truly a business woman of the digital age. Madison initially shot to viral fame with that legendary ‘New Weave 22 Inches’ Vine clip which promoted her adult business Raw Dawgg Entertainment. She has gone on to dominate the internet with her own brand of unbothered humor on several Youtube series and popular Facebook Live show The Queens Supreme Court.
Check out our interview below as we discuss her life as an entrepreneur, respectability politics, the ballroom scene, Rupaul’s Drag Race and the importance of being a Trans gun owner in 2019.
The Queens Supreme Court is one of the most popular, must-see live shows across social media. How do you keep things fresh, beyond what’s on the docket?
Ahhhh! You jumped right in to the hard things! You keep things fresh by keeping the seat moving. Now, we look at stuff outside when we’re trying to find out who and what we’re going to put in the docket, but it’s not even about what we are talking about – it’s about who’s talking about it. So for me, the dynamics of the show has changed since its inception with myself and my former permanent co-host. But now with the seat rotating, it keeps this ideas, commentary, and laughter fresh. The fresh faces is what makes it exciting.
That brings me to my next question. You’ve had some great co-hosts: Kid Fury, Tiffany Pollard, Messie CC, Tae Da Tea and more. What do you look for in a co-host? Is it the fans writing in and saying, “You need to have ‘blank’ on the show, or something you look for in the host specifically?
It’s a mixture of both – I do try to please the fans. I mean, nobody is not tangible… I’m TS Madison, honey, everybody knows who the fuck I am! A lot of times it comes down to scheduling. Then, lots of times people are afraid to work in a live setting.
There are a lot of stars that people see as stars but those bitches can’t work outside of their instagram interval they have, you know? They can’t really sustain a conversation. They’re used to doing little skits. But when were talking about things that are going on in the world, you’ve got to be quick with it. You gotta be able to bounce ideas from me to you and be able to respond. This is why Funky Dineva works well with me. This is why he’s my go to choice, he does this for a living.
I know Miss Sophia is an icon in the LGBT community. When she was being honored at the Gentlemen’s Ball she said, “Girl why you ain’t got me in the show?” I said, “Sophia, I didn’t know if this is something you wanted to do since you don’t really get into the shade. You know we get into some shade – we really throw shade.” And she said, “You must have forgot who I am!” When she came here it was magic! Then I put her and Dineva together and said “God is good!”
I want to get into one of your early ventures was adult entertainment, specifically Raw Dog Entertainment. You faced early criticism from the trans community, but now it seems like everybody has an Onlyfans account.
We often tend to fall under the heteronormative ideas that we need to be above things straight people do. There are many straight people who transitioned from those things to mainstream media. Why can’t we transition spiritually, mentally, financially and career-wise, too? That is something I participated in but no longer something I do. I use it as a story. I use my career background as a story to prove –not just to the T in our LGBT community — but to people as a whole. Just because people put you in a space doesn’t mean you have to stay there. Especially if you’re working toward your future. I still collect my coins from it because I put the time in! I’m no different than my white counterparts have done and moved on to other things. I could just never understand what the problem is with me. Is it because I’m black?! (laughter).
Speaking about mixed audiences, you have been a part of the World of Wonder (WOW) family for a bit: Let Me Pick You Up, Wait A Minute, and several “drag Race” related appearances. How has that new visibility affected the TS madison brand?
I’m very grateful to World of Wonder stepping into my life. They were one of the first people who said “this woman is a star” regardless of my production background. They focused on building my brand the way they focused on Rupaul mainstreaming drag. Remember, drag was the bottom of the totem pole the same way adult entertainment was. So we must thank Rupaul and World of Wonder for digging us out of that hole. Soon all those bitches gonna thank me, too! All those Onlyfans girls gonna say, “We can do it too!” (Laughter)
This season on RPDR we saw Silky Nutmeg Ganache on snatch game. Did you know she was going to be you?
While I was filming for something that’s coming soon with WOW, I read some spoilers but I didn’t think anything of it. WOW asked me to sign some papers but I didn’t think anything of it. I re-read the paperwork and realize it must’ve been for snatch game. I never messaged Silky or anything like that. I was very honored – especially since it was coming from a big, black girl, and a girl that was hated the majority of the season.
This has been my story in my own community – the big, black girl that was hated by my own people for being who I am. It was a perfect embodiment of TS Madison, the loud live and in color queen who does things her way, on her time, and don’t give a fuck who likes it or not! When this happened I was very honored. After all the years of queens using my persona in that show (including Rupaul), someone finally paid homage to me and I felt publicly thanked for my contribution to their existence.
Speaking of Silky, there has been a disproportionate amount of harsh criticism and hate on social media towards queens of color from the fandom. Do you think its a clash of the culture now that the fanbase has grown, or just traditional prejudice and racism?
I feel like it’s traditional prejudice and racism. I think it’s a clash of culture, too, because I feel like there needs to be more black queens crowned.
I got to say this right – I get what WOW is doing and I get what Rupaul is doing as far as mainstreaming. However, everything can be mainstreamed. Big girls can be mainstreamed. Loud, live and in color girls can be mainstreamed. Look at Nene Leakes! Let’s not wait till we get to the top three and pick the white girl, you get what I’m saying?
We’ve followed you for quite a bit. We primarily cover the Ballroom Scene community and we’ve seen your opinion of the ballroom scene grow over the years. What helped evolve those opinions.
I didn’t want to do to the ball scene what the ball scene did to me. The first ones to attack me were the ball kids. Like, y’all are queens too! Why are y’all attacking me? You craft and do illegal things, why are you coming for me? It took me a bit to realize that not everybody in the ball feels that way. I don’t participate in the balls because I’m from Miami. Miami isn’t big on balls. We’re more about the pageantry. At one point I found many of the categories weird. (laughter) I’m being honest! But as I got older I realized that it was a form of expression from these individuals and where they are from.
I was more-so on the defensive side at first when my vines started getting out. I was never posting them on other social media. They were being shared and posted by others through other platforms. A lot of people we’re attacking me at first forgetting what line of business I was in. I was doing adult entertainment, promoting my business. It’s like they were coming down on me for selling cookies at a bakery. Girl you were taking these cookies and giving them to the public, I was just giving it to those trying to buy some underground cookies!
My opinions changed when I was embraced by the House of Balenciaga. I love Harold, and majority of the Balenciagas. They understood me. They got me. I was in my own space and people took my stuff and went to the public with it when I was just trying to make a living. That’s when I realized not all the ball queens were all about shade. It’s just a few of the girls that think they sickening and they crafting someone else’s social security number. That’s not sickening, girl. At the end of the day we both fucking somebody!
Kelly Mizrahi is my girl! Shauna Brooks is my girl! When I was in DC they kept saying “I’m an honorary ‘AGA!” (Laughter) It takes me, the TS, who has crossed over to mainstream visibly to understand that I can not bicker in my own community. It defeats the purpose of what we’re trying to do.
Speaking of the trans community, you’ve been a very outspoken supporter of trans women becoming gun owners. Do you think that’s simply the harsh reality of life for a trans women, or do you think everyone should be a gun owner?
I think every trans woman should be a gun owner because I feel like trans women are targets – especially trans women of color. Not only are we targets, some of us are very vulnerable to what we tend to like. Many of us like hood niggas, and we forget those type of men try to protect their masculinity at all costs. They will ambush you, publicly hurt you, even kill you on national TV just to prove and protect their masculinity. It’s imperative for the girls to become gun owners, okay?! And they need to protect themselves and guard their feelings and hearts. Guard your space! I’m telling you, I’ve got a dude right now that I keep telling, “I don’t fuck with dudes that get in the car and gotta put their seats back, I’m sorry.” Those phases for me are done. They are the main types of dudes that are slaying the girls. They get their dicks sucked Friday night, and Saturday morning they out there trying to prove that they didn’t touch that woman and here I am dead and nobody knew who the fuck you was cause your feet was leaned all the way back in the car. Step your pussy up, I’ve been saying that for years. Get you a .009 millimeter, a 380!
You were apart of the series Fishtank. Do you have any other screen appearances in the works?
I do! I have lots of things in the works. We’re working on bringing the Queens Supreme Court to a television near you. I don’t have any definite answers for you yet, but we are talking to the people – rather, the people are talking to us.
I’m a personality outside of the supreme court. My day to day life is funny. Child, you know I can turn on my video and entertain thousands of people by sitting there sticking a comb through my hair talking about what I had for breakfast.
We caught you on the plane taking a light nap while hundreds of people watched so…. (laughter) anything you do the girls are here for it.
Yeah! I took a Xanax cause I have a fear of flying. My life is just interesting. Sometimes I step outside of my own life and think – if these people saw what I go through on a day to day basis, they wouldn’t understand. They would have more respect for me and actually be like: I can’t do that!
Sometimes I think to myself, I want to quit! But just the other day at the grocery store a cis-gender woman says, “I love you, TS Madison, you make me step my pussy up! Girl, you make me feel good about myself! I feel good, I look good!” and I tell myself that I can’t quit no matter what. I’ve got to keep transitioning in my life.
In conclusion, being a business owner, performer, multimedia entrepreneur keeps you very busy. What do you like to do in your downtime?
My favorite thing to do is go to the movies. I am so excited. Like a kid in the candy store. I can go at 11am in the day and stay there all day watching every single movie!
Catch TS Madison and live episodes of The Queens Supreme Court every Monday night 10pm CFT (Colored Folk Time)
