Two local competitors, JoeMyGosh and Snoozy Q, are taking comedy seriously as they prepare for the National Miss Comedy Queen pageant. National Miss Comedy Queen is a competition open to any femme-presenting queen who has qualified through a preliminary contest. JoeMyGosh won the City of Bridges Comedy Queen contest in October, and Snoozy Q placed First Alternate; both the winner and the first alternate qualify to compete in the national contest in Orlando, Florida.
Here’s the twist…both Snoozy Q and JoeMyGosh are members of the same drag family, “the Goon Squad,” alongside Jaxa Froot, Andi Whorehol, and Em. The Goon Squad members, AKA The House of Medical Malpractice, will go wig-to-wig in the competition.
The two competitors are both proponents of “bad drag,” which is a queer-positive aesthetic and performance concept celebrating intentionally unpolished, chaotic, or campy performances, often seen at Pride or in underground scenes. It defies mainstream, high-fashion, and polished drag by focusing on joy, subversion, and “messy” authenticity rather than technical perfection.
JoeMyGosh gave a few good reasons why they are the perfect candidate to represent Pittsburgh in the National Miss Comedy Queen.
“Well. I’m really funny,” JoeMyGosh said. “I am a big fan of the National Miss Comedy Queen pageant. I’ve been following it for years.”
The drag performer added, “I love Vivian Vendetta-Sinclair, the 2024 winner, and, of course, all of our local queens like Blade Matthews and Dixie Surewood.”
JoeMyGosh won the preliminary in Ohio last year and entered the National Miss Comedy Queen pageant. Though they scored highest in the talent portion (higher than any other competitor), the drag performer did not place in the top ten in 2025.
JoeMyGosh started their drag career as part of a comedy duo with Jaxa Froot. As a duo, they won “Best Comedy Troupe” in City Paper’s Best of Pittsburgh 2022. In 2024, JoeMyGosh became Miss Blue Moon when Jaxa Froot simultaneously won the title of Mr. Blue Moon.
Snoozy Q is newer to the drag scene, having performed since the fall of 2022, but has quickly earned a spot as a top competitor. Snoozy Q became the First Alternate at City of Bridges Comedy Queen in October.
Since showing up on the scene, Snoozy has racked up a couple of tiaras and sashes herself, including Miss P Town 2026, and she was the Second Alternate at Blue Moon in January.
Snoozy Q said, “I have always been competitive.”
The competition is fierce.
Forty queens will compete over several days, March 23 to March 26, with contestants judged on comedic value and creativity across all categories: Interview, Presentation (a themed event), Comedic Talent, Outrageous evening wear, and the 60-second spokeswoman.
Former winners include Pittsburgh’s Blade Matthews (2010), Ginger Minj (2012), and Dixie Surewood (2018). Surewood, Pittsburgh City Paper’s Best Drag Performer of 2023, reiterated the importance of the national title.
“National Comedy Queen gave me more than a title. It helped me grow, step into leadership, and take what I do more seriously. It has also made me fully aware that comedy is powerful, intelligent, and transformative. Most of all, it gave me a strong community and sisterhood, people who support each other, work hard, and show up for something bigger than themselves,” Surewood said.
JoeMyGosh and Snoozy Q are fully aware of the collaborative effort required to get a queen into a national competition. They are taking the Goon Squad to Florida. Jaxa Froot, Andi Whorehol, and Em will be flying down, but JoeMyGosh and Snoozy Q will be driving down because of the number of suitcases they need to pack for the contest.
JoeMyGosh, who gets motion sickness in the passenger seat, will do all the driving on the long haul to Orlando. “I’m not a good driver, but I’m a better driver than Snoozy Q! And you can print that,” JoeMyGosh said.
The members of the Goon Squad are preparing for the trip.
Em joked, “I’m so glad JoeMyGosh and Snoozy Q’s talents are being recognized and celebrated by the National Miss Comedy Queen pageant system. A traditional pageant often sees a battle of beauty versus brains, and fortunately for Joe and Snoozy, Comedy Queen requires neither.”
Em added, “All jokes aside, I truly feel honored every single day that my favorite people in the world believe in me as much as I believe in them. I’m so thankful that they trust me to help them with everything, starting with garments and bullying them into submission backstage as one of their dressers. I can’t wait for everyone to see the packages that they are both working on for Comedy Queen. I have no doubts that they will remind everyone how good ‘bad drag’ can be.”
Andi Whorehol joked, “I wish these bitches would stop doing pageants!” Then, added, “I’m genuinely so proud of Snoozy and Joe and all the work they’ve done for this, and can’t wait to see them up on that national stage! I’m grateful and stressed to be part of the behind-the-scenes work. They’re gonna kill it…and if not, we’re gonna kill them!”
There is no actual rivalry between the two competitors; both displayed a genuine love for one another during private interviews. JoeMyGosh said, “At the City of Bridges Comedy Queen contest, I started crying. Jaxa asked, ‘Are you crying because you won?’ and I said, ‘I’m crying because I’m so happy that Snoozy is going to compete with me.’”
JoeMyGosh added, “It’s a chance to spend the week with some of the funniest queens in America.”
Current reigning champion, Debbie Does Drag, has sage advice for the contestants. She said, “Remember to be true to YOU and your vision and SELL IT, because the judges will see that and want to buy it. At the end of the day, this should always be more fun than it is stressful because it’s a damn comedy competition!”