“It’s everyone’s moment,” Michelle Buteau told Tudum on the red carpet of the Survival of the Thickest premiere. “This cast showed up and left their families and I’m just so thankful. But yeah, fuck it. This is my moment, too. I’m excited.”
As the creator, star and executive producer of the new comedy series, which is inspired by her book of essays of the same name, Buteau was the belle of the ball in New York City on Tuesday night. Posing for photos in a voluminous, tulle-forward black ball gown, the comedian had all eyes on her as she officially ascended to her long-deserved and hard-won leading role status.
Survival of the Thickest cast members Tone Bell, Tasha Smith, Garcelle Beauvais, Peppermint, Anissa Felix, Liza Treyger and Marouane Zotti, as well as longtime friends including Ilana Glazer, were all in attendance to mark the occasion ahead of the series’ launch on July 13.
“Everybody’s rooting for her,” Beauvais told Tudum. “I’m so proud of Michelle on so many levels. Not only is she funny, sweet and talented, but she did something that I hadn’t seen. I saw my first female Black cameraperson. I’ve been in the industry for 100 years, and it was amazing to see diverse people everywhere on the set.”
For Peppermint, the series was a chance to work with a performer she’s long admired. “I’m a fan. I watch The Circle. I just finished Barbecue Showdown. She immediately spoke to me as somebody I would like to know,” the RuPaul’s Drag Race alum added, praising the set as “not performatively inclusive, but actually inclusive.”
Meanwhile, “bliss” was the one word that came to Smith’s mind to sum up her experience. “Michelle is an all-American girl. She’s everybody’s best friend and everyone’s neighbor,” she said. “The series is really her authentic self, her humor, her love, her hopefulness, her optimism about relationships and her community. This show represents all of who she is as a human. I’m grateful to be a part of this show and I’m a fan of that motherfucking bitch!”
Take a look below to see all the looks from the Survival of the Thickest premiere.
