Katya Zamolodchikova

About

Brian Joseph McCook (born May 1, 1982), known by his drag persona Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova or Katya, is an American drag queen, actor, author, recording artist, podcaster, and comedian. Katya is best known for placing fifth on the seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race (2015) and he placed as a runner-up on the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (2016). He is also known for appearing in the World of Wonder web series UNHhhh (2016–2023) and the Viceland series The Trixie & Katya Show (2017–2018) with co-host and fellow season 7 alum Trixie Mattel. Trixie and Katya often appear together as a popular comedy duo. Katya is a Daytime Emmy Award nominee.

Brian Joseph McCook was born on May 1, 1982, to Pat (née Moran) and Dan McCook. McCook is of Irish descent and was raised Catholic. His father bought him a cheerleader outfit as a child, sparking his interest in dressing up. He described his parents as “accepting” and his father also bought him his first wig. He came out as gay at age 15. He has two siblings. McCook was raised in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and graduated from Marlborough High School in 2001. In a 2019 interview, McCook described…