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- Jinkx Monsoon is a world-renowned drag performer, Broadway star, and winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars.
- Jinkx (b. Jerick Hoffer, they/she) married Michael Abbott (he/him) in 2021 during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
- Jinkx and their longtime friend/collaborator, BenDeLaCreme, announced The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show” 2023 Tour.
From a chance meeting at a club in Manchester to tying the knot in Portland, Jinkx Monsoon and Michael Abbott have come a long way to find love. Jinkx – who many know for their sold-out solo tours, their turn as Matron “Mama” Morton on Broadway’s Chicago, and winning multiple iterations of RuPaul’s Drag Race – married their love in a low-key ceremony in 2021. “We both, in different ways, said, ‘We’re not one wriggling manifestation, we’re two individuals who will remain two individuals who choose to live their lives together,’” Jinkx told The New York Times about the wedding, reflecting how their handwritten vows dealt with the concept of commitment without ownership.
However, Michael has become a vital player in the “wriggling manifestation” that is the professional career of his partner. Michael has worked alongside Jinkx and their musical collaboration/friend Major Scales, playing keys alongside Major Scales and in Jinkx’s touring band. As of summer 2023, Michael is busy providing musical accompaniment while accompanying Jinkx on their Everything At Stake show.
In November, Jinkx will cross the pond to Michael’s native England to kick off The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show 2023 Tour with their friend, fellow drag performer, and fellow Drag Race alum, BenDeLaCreme. The 30-city tour will “run from November 12 – December 30 across the U.S., U.K., and Canada with a new show written by DeLa and Jinkx that proves they’re still the reigning ‘queens of Christmas,’” per a press release. For more information and to sign up for updates, visit jinkxanddela.com.
Fans will have to get tickets to see if Michael’s coming along to help stuff Jinkx’s stocking during this holiday tour. In the meantime, here’s what you need to know about him:
Who Is Jinkx Monsoon’s Husband, Michael Abbott?
Michael is a singer/songwriter, a performer, and an audio producer, per Out.com. He has also worked in the sound department of shows/broadcasts like The Voice, the Grammy Awards, the SAG Awards, Roseanne, Wheel of Fortune, and more. Most notably, Michael is part of Jinkx’s touring band, playing keys alongside Jinkx’s musical partner/collaborator Major Scales.
In 2022, Michael got his Visa. “Still a couple more hoops to jump through with USCIS and the NVC, and things to sort here in the U.K., but in the coming months, I’ll be a green card holder and a permanent resident of the United States!” he wrote.
When Did Jinkx Get Married?
Jinkx and Michael tied the knot in 2021. “Well— I guess the cats are out of their respective bags,” Jinkx captioned a 2021 Instagram post announcing the matrimony. “On January 9, 2021, Michael and I said our vows and become spouses by law. That’s right! Mama got married. (Cue the Gypsy soundtrack). We had an at-home wedding, witnessed by our housemates, with our officiant Deven Green, safely Skyping in and our family and friends watching safely through Zoom. It was the perfect day.”
“We had kind of a pre-engagement at the beginning of October where we were like if we can figure it out, let’s get married,” Jinkx told The New York Times in 2021. At the time, Michael and Jinkx were involved in a long-distance romance “built on frequent flier miles and constant check-ins,” per the Times. When the COVID-19 lockdowns happened, Michael was stuck in the U.K. while Jinkx was in Portland, Oregon. Ultimately, Michael got cleared for a 90-day trip to see Jinkx, where they decided to wed.
“We said, OK, you have to fly home in about a month, and we don’t know what’s going to happen with the pandemic and when we’re going to be able to be together again, so let’s lay down some brickwork for our future,” Jinkx told the NYT. “We’ve already survived eight months apart. If we’re forced to do it again, we know we can make it.”
The ceremony was not the Victorian affair that Jinkx had once envisioned they would have. Had they married a decade earlier, Jinkx may have dressed out in drag. “I still had a yen for causing a spectacle then,” they told the Times. “Nowadays, I’m much more low-key.” Plus, the intimate ceremony “was good for me because we were able to really focus on each other,” added Mx. Monsoon.
How Did Jinkx & Michael Meet?
Jinkx met their future husband in March 2019 at Kiki, a club in Manchester. Michael was working the bar. “I was on tour, and I had plans to go out with another drag queen friend of mine, but she ghosted me,” Jinkx told The New York Times. “So I went out alone.” There was an instant connection, with resulted in Michael hanging out with Jinkx in their hotel room.
“Then we spent the entire next day flipping through T.V. channels, getting to know each other more,” Mx. Jinkx told the NYT. Michael picked up a ukulele that Jinkx brought with them on tour and “started playing me songs, whatever was on T.V. I was so impressed with his ability to play by ear.”
Jinkx spent the rest of the U.K. tour in a cloud of love. Michael and Jinkx held hands while walking down the streets, singing and enjoying the romance. On their last night together, they made a decision to keep the love going.
“It was 3 a.m., and we were pretty wasted outside a bar called Glamorous Birmingham, and it was pouring rain, and water was streaming down our faces,” Michael told The New York Times. “We had talked at great length about how difficult it could be, starting something serious while living in different countries. But we decided right then to throw caution to the wind.”
Since then, they’ve overcome distance, pandemics, travel bans, and immigration departments to find a Happily Ever After.
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