Kim Chi has come a long way since being introduced to a global audience on RuPaul's Drag Race season 8, which she finished as a top 3 finalist. Despite only competing once in Mama Ru's queendom, Kim Chi got everything she needed: Millions of fans who fell in love with her right away, close friendships with fellow finalists Naomi Smalls and Bob the Drag Queen, the "Fat, Fem & Asian" catchphrase that addressed desirability politics in a fun/cheeky way, and even a moment at the finale to tell RuPaul about her dream to start her own makeup company.Three years after competing on Drag Race, Kim Chi indeed launched her makeup brand, KimChi Chic Beauty, and has consistently made herstory with the company. In 2022, for instance, KimChi Chic Beauty products became available for sale at CVS stores the first time that happened for a makeup brand run by a drag artist. This fierce queen was subsequently honored in the Out100 for continuing to build a makeup empire for herself.Now, Kim Chi has officially entered her author era. First by coauthoring a graphic novel for kids titled Donutella Hamachi and the Library Avengers alongside Stephan Lee, which featured illustrations by Utomaro. A month later, by publishing a cookbook titled Kim Chi Eats the World.In an interview with Out, Kim Chi opens up about how much she loves libraries and food, name-drops a few queens that she referenced in the Donutella Hamachi universe, and gets candid about what she sees as the future of her career. Kim ChiCourtesy of KimChi Chic BeautyOut: These books are adorable, and colorful, and I love the stories they tell. Let's start with Donutella Hamachi. Where did the idea for writing this book come about?Kim Chi: So, the first book is called Donutella Hamachi and the Library Avengers, and the book deal came about because of like a random tweet that I tweeted back in the day. I was reading about how lots of public libraries are getting defunded, and I was in my feelings, so I tweeted about how much the public libraries meant to me.Growing up, the library was such an important resource. Especially as a poor kid, living with my single mom. So that tweet ended up going viral, and then librarians from all over the world started messaging me saying like, "Thank you so much for speaking up for the libraries and the librarians. It means a lot to us."A publisher then reached out and asked me if I wanted to write a book about saving public libraries, and I think libraries are a very important source and the pillars of every community. It was like a project that I feel super passionate about.The second book, Kim Chi Eats the World, is so interesting and on-brand. You're a well-known foodie, and Drag Race fans know that you love trying things out and encouraging people to explore new cuisines. What can you tell us about the second book?Well, I'm also I'm a certified fat-ass, you know? Like, I work, and work out, so I can eat. [Laughs.] So the second book is called Kim Chi Eats the World, and it's a cookbook. I wanted to bring global flavors to like an audience that might not be familiar with what kind of cuisines there are around the world, so it's basically all my favorite flavors that I've tasted during my travel and how to recreate those recipes in your American kitchen.And none of the recipes are very threatening; they're very simple, easy recipes. So if someone's too scared to try, the stakes are low. I've also thrown a couple of fun, quirky recipes in there too, just to further educate the audience. Like, there's a chicken feet curry! You don't have to make it. But, you know, it's there if you're feeling adventurous. Book cover art for Kim Chi Eats the World.Union Square & Co.I want to circle back to Donutella Hamachi because I just think it's hilarious that you've turned Bob the Drag Queen into the villain of the book. And there's also a reference to Trixie Mattel. What can you tell the fans about that?Yeah! [Laughs.] So the library is called Firkus Public Library. [Editor's note: Trixie's out-of-drag name is Brian Michael Firkus.] The book, obviously, is loosely based on my life. So there's like a lot of sprinkles to like people in my like day-to-day life. And, you know, Bob being Well, technically, it's not Bob who's the villain, but the villain's name is Blob the Drag Thing.So good. [Laughs.]The character is based on Bob's whole thing about how like, "abolish all libraries," and "libraries just take up space." You know, he sort of had a viral meme moment about that. Pages of Donutella Hamachi and the Library Avengers photographed during the KimChi Chic Beauty launch at Ulta event on November 19, 2025 at the Museum of Ice Cream in SoHo.Courtesy of Robbie Nero for KimChi Chic Beauty/Ulta Yeah, Bob had that hot take/joke for a while. He'd be like, "Oh, why do we have libraries?" I think that's gone now, but it's hilarious to include that reference in the book.Yeah, it's like cheeky fun, you know? There's a lot of Easter eggs to my real life and real life people in the book.Are there other queens I must have missed? Are there some deep references?I want people to read the book to find out, but there are character names like Femme de la Crme [reference to BenDeLaCreme] and Miss Smalls [reference to Naomi Smalls].Are you enjoying this path of writing books? Do you want to continue doing more?Absolutely. I love a new adventure, and I love venturing things out. That's one of the reasons why I gravitated toward drag every day feels like a different adventure, and I get to play with different mediums, and I create different shapes on my face. I just love keeping myself challenged, artistically and intellectually. Kim Chi during the KimChi Chic Beauty launch at Ulta event on November 19, 2025 at the Museum of Ice Cream in SoHo.Courtesy of Robbie Nero for KimChi Chic Beauty/UltaI'm trying to remember if I knew that you had a passion for writing. Is that fair to say? That you have a passion for writing?I don't know if it's necessarily writing that I have a passion for, but I have a passion for retelling stories and creating a world. That's where my passion lies.As far as your makeup company, KimChi Chic Beauty, it's now been up and running for more than five years. How does that feel like? Five years, Kim! Congratulations.I know, it's crazy. Thank you. And we are sold all over the place, you know? Obviously on our website, but aside from that: Ulta, CVS, JCPenney, iHerb, and just various other retailers around the world. It's so cool to see people across different continents using my products and tagging me in them. I'm always like, "Oh my god!"It's like a dream come true. One of my dreams with my makeup brand is You know how certain products, like Airspun Powder, everyone knows what those products are? Like, they've seen it like sitting on like their grandmother's counter.Yes, of course.One day, when I no longer exist on this Earth, and I'm not here anymore, I want the legacy of my products to continue on, and get passed down from generation to generation. Affordable, good quality, for generations. Kim ChiCourtesy of KimChi Chic BeautyIt's always a trip for me to see cousins of mine, like little girls and teenagers, wanting to buy makeup from your company, or showing me a photo of something, and it's a KimChi Chic Beauty product. And these are little girls who have no idea about my work, who have never seen Drag Race. It's crazy.Yes! Personally, for me, it was very important that my makeup brand is not a "Kim Chi merch," but it's more of like a standalone brand of its own. And that's why I kept the price-point very fair.Performance-wise, the drag queen of it all, do you have any plans to slow it down? Do you have plans to speed it up? Have you changed your mind at all, one way or another, about going back on Drag Race to compete again?Oh, you know, never say never, right? [Laughs.] But right now I'm very happy with what I'm doing, and with my life. There's a lot of projects and things to keep me very busy and stimulated. But, again, never say never. Just, at this time, I'm not sure. I do think the show is amazing, and it's done wonders for the queer community and queer artists.Would you like to explore things like acting?I actually have taken acting lessons and singing lessons. Not because I want to pursue these as a career I don't know if I'm at the level to actually submit auditions for things like that but just to keep myself challenged.Kim Chi's two new books, Donutella Hamachi and the Library Avengers, and Kim Chi Eats the World, are both now available for sale. Cover art for Donutella Hamachi and the Library Avengers graphic novel; Cover art for Kim Chi Eats the World cookbook.Walker Books US; Union Square & Co.