BY: DM
Published 1 minute ago
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 17 winner Onya Nurve won’t be lacing up the iconic red boots after all. Days before the new North American tour of “Kinky Boots” kicked off producers confirmed that the queen — known offstage as Justin Woody — had left the show and would no longer star as Lola. Nurve was announced as Lola in July, just three months after winning “Drag Race.”
She has already toured with “RuPaul’s Drag Race Werq The World” this year. Voss Events listed her in rotating lineups with queens like Jimbo, Jaida Essence Hall, Kim Chi, Vanessa Vanjie, Roxxxy Andrews, and Sasha Velour across Europe, North America, and Australia. However, Nurve’s “Kinky Boots” run is officially over, which has fans wondering what shifted behind the scenes. Here’s what we know.
Onya Nurve Is No Longer Starring in “Kinky Boots”
On Nov. 17, reps for “Kinky Boots” told Out that Nurve “is no longer with the company” and announced that Omari Collins — known in drag as Scarlett D. Von’Du — would take over the role of Lola for the 2025–26 non-Equity tour. The statement wished Woody well but did not explain the exit.
Before that announcement dropped, fans had already clocked that something was off. Reddit users noticed that Nurve’s name and photo quietly disappeared from the tour’s website, and the Lola slot on the cast grid suddenly showed her understudy instead.
“Onya deleted the announcement they’d made when they were cast from their Facebook, and the official link on the touring webpage no longer lists her. Ooof,” one user commented. Another added, “This seems like an unfortunate fumble. Hope Onya is okay and nothing bad happened.”
Nurve’s exit doesn’t stop the show — the boots are still hitting the road. The new “Kinky Boots” tour is a non-Equity North American run produced by Crossroads Live North America. It launched Nov. 19 in Elmira, NY, and is expected to travel for multiple seasons with stops in Boston, Hartford, Dallas, and Charlotte, according to Tours to You.
Onya Nurve Is Booked and Busy Outside of “Kinky Boots”
Nurve has been building a name for herself in music. She started with “In and Out,” a solo single she released in January under her own label, Nurve Productions. She followed that momentum with “It Do Take Nurve,” the finale track from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 17.
Nurve also has a two-queen show with fellow finalist Jewels Sparkles called “Onya & Jewels.” The project was originally pushed to 2026 because of her “Kinky Boots” commitment, and an Instagram update explained that the reschedule made space for her Lola role.
After her Drag Race win, Nurve made it clear she wants to dive deeper into acting. She has talked openly about wanting to work with Viola Davis and even host Saturday Night Live one day. “I want to do some stage acting, some film, I would love to host ‘SNL,’” she told Entertainment Weekly. “The sky is the limit. I’m excited now as an artist to paint again and make some art, and just find my avenues, baby. Onya everything!”
What do you think caused Onya Nurve’s exit from “Kinky Boots?” Comment below!
