Crystal Methyd (born 16 April 1991) is the stage name of Cody D. Harness, an American drag performer who competed on the twelfth season of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the f ...

''. Her name refers to

crystal meth Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamphe ...

Early life and education

Harness was born on April 16th, 1991, in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

, to a Mexican mother and American father. At age 5, Harness's family moved to

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

to be closer to his dad’s parents, and is where he became an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

. He graduated from

Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...

, and first performed in drag at Springfield PrideFest in 2015. He has recalled, "I was practicing my makeup in my room for about a month before I performed. I had a lot of fun, and people told me I looked different, and I liked that."

Career

Crystal Methyd launched the monthly drag show "Get Dusted" at

's Outland Ballroom, and partnered with a local restaurant owner to host the city's first drag brunch in 2017. In addition to hosting "Get Dusted", which Bernardo Sim of ''

Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...

'' said "has reenergized the drag scene in Springfield" and features "drag performers of all gender expressions and sexual orientations ... including straight cis men", Crystal helped performers with their makeup. In 2020, Crystal Methyd competed on the twelfth season of ''

''. ''

Bustle A bustle is a padded undergarment used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. ...

'' Kayla Blanton called her the "dark horse of the season", and

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's Christopher Rudolph named her the "kookiest" of the contestants. Daniel Reynolds of '' The Advocate'' said she had a "kooky charm" and described her

lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated thr ...

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...

's "

I'm Like a Bird "I'm Like a Bird" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. It was written by Furtado and produced by Gerald Eaton and Brian West for her debut studio album, ''Whoa, Nelly!'' (2000). Released as the album's first single, it became ...

" during the finale as "unforgettable". The ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

'' Joey Guerra wrote, "The kooky queen with a mullet was a sharp contrast to much of her Season 12 competition. She struggled at first, unsure of how to fit her persona into the show's mechanics. But when she stopped trying, she soared and learned to shape each challenge to fit her." Michael Cook of ''

South Florida Gay News ''South Florida Gay News'' is a South Florida-based alternative weekly newspaper published by Norm Kent Norman Elliott Kent. (born 18 October 1949 in Brooklyn, New York) is a South Florida criminal defense attorney, publisher and radio ta ...

'' said "her now-iconic runway looks were nothing to laugh at; this queen is one of a kind". Her parents and Spanish-speaking grandmother appeared on the finale.

Jaida Essence Hall Jared Johnson (born December 9, 1986), best known by the stage name Jaida Essence Hall, is an American drag queen and reality television personality best known for winning the twelfth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', and later returning to com ...

won season 12, with Crystal Methyd and

Gigi Goode Gigi Goode (born December 2, 1997) is an American drag queen and reality television personality known for being a runner-up on the twelfth season of the drag competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Following her appearance on ''Drag Race'', ...

as the runners-up. In September 2021, Methyd embarked on "Crystal & Jujubee's Wonderland Euro Tour," her first international tour with fellow drag race alum Jujubee, performing in 7 different cities across Europe.

Personal life

Harness lives in Springfield, Missouri, as of 2020. He has a tattoo of "

One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the gr ...

" in Arabic on his chest. She is the drag mother of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' season 14 contestant, Daya Betty.

Filmography

Television

Music videos

Web series

Discography

Featured singles

References

External links

* * {{RuPaul's Drag Race Living people American people of Mexican descent Hispanic and Latino American drag queens LGBT culture in Missouri Missouri State University alumni People from San Jose, California People from Springfield, Missouri Crystal Methyd 1991 births