. She even has a signature hair flip, “The Leiomy Lolly,” that’s been replicated by Beyoncé, Janet Jackson and others. So when she was approached by the HBO Max reality competition about being a contestant, it’s no surprise she said no. “I felt like that wasn't really my place,” she tells ET.
As executive producers David Collins, Rob Eric and Michael Williams continued to develop the series, which sees eight houses largely comprised of gay and trans people of color competing in weekly balls in order to achieve “legendary” status, they came back to Maldonado to see if she would be a judge. “I felt like it was the perfect opportunity,” she says.