How A Drunk Bar Joke Turned Bob The Drag Queen Into A Global Brand

The name Bob the Drag Queen might not exist today were it not for a drunken joke at a bar during the early years of his career.

Bob reflected on the origins of his stage name during an appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” just ahead of making his Broadway debut this week.

During the conversation, the reality TV star looked back on his move to New York City in pursuit of an acting career.

He revisited the early challenges he faced, and how those formative years have also helped to shape the performer and brand he has become.

During his cameo on “Late Night,” Bob went into detail about how a drunken interaction at a bar led to the birth of his now-iconic stage name.

Bob recalled being introduced to a crowd by an intoxicated man who repeatedly got his name wrong. “This drunk guy was like, ‘Guys, you got to give it up for your host, Kate!’” he told Meyers.

Bob saw the humor in a drag queen taking on the most ordinary name possible, and he decided to lean into the moment and escalate the joke throughout the night.

“I kept making it more plain, — ‘Give it up for me, your host, Joe the Drag Queen,’” Bob continued. “And by the end of the night, I was like, ‘And give it up for me, your host, Bob the Drag Queen.’”

Bob the Drag Queen photographed c. 2012 (then under the name Kitten Withawhip) by Leland Bobbé for his series “Half-Drag … A Different Kind of Beauty”
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Before landing on Bob the Drag Queen, the future TV personality performed under Kittin Withawhip, a nod to the 1964 crime drama “Kitten With a Whip,” which starred Ann-Margret.

Bob (born Christopher Caldwell) was even featured in his Kittin persona in photographer Leland Bobbé's “Half-Drag” photo series of 2012.

In fact, the drunken mix-up on the night he became Bob stemmed from his often telling people to call him Cait or Cat as shorthand for Kittin.

According to Bob, this particular name stuck for roughly three to four years, until that dramatic encounter at a bar in Chelsea changed the entire trajectory of his career.

By the end of his hosting duties that evening, Bob said he was already falling in love with the idea of changing his name.

“I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is a great name," he recalled, explaining that he immediately told his friends about his plans.

Their response was overwhelmingly negative, something Bob said only strengthened his resolve.

“They all went, ‘Do not do that. That's a horrible name,’” Bob said. “And all I need is one person to say, ‘Don't do it.’”

Beyond the origins of his stage name, Bob also joked with Meyers about his physical appearance during his early days in New York City.

“You know what a twink is?” he asked. “Yeah, I was a big 6’2” twink!”

The pair went on to discuss Bob’s life after relocating to NYC, including stories of mice-infested apartments and living with multiple roommates, including a pregnant woman and her husband.

At the time, Bob was dreaming of breaking into Broadway, though he admitted he didn’t quite fully understand what it would take to succeed on this path.

“No one told me that to be in the company, like a chorus boy on Broadway, you really got to be able to sing and dance!” he said.

While those early Broadway dreams didn’t materialize right away, Bob is now set to make his official debut this week, playing Harold Zidler in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”

Ironically, Bob revealed that he had never watched Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film, from which the play is adapted, until recently.

“I had never seen the movie before,” Bob told Meyers. “I actually watched the movie for the first time like three weeks ago.”