{{Short description|American drag queen and makeup artist}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Laila McQueen | image = File:RuPaul DragCon 2022 (52073257951).jpg | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = Laila McQueen at RuPaul's DragCon LA, 2022 | birth_name = Tyler Devlin | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1993|6|22}} | birth_place = Gloucester, Massachusetts, U.S. | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (DEATH date then BIRTH date) --> | death_place = | nationality = <!-- use only when necessary per WP:INFONAT --> | other_names = | occupation = {{Flatlist| * Drag performer * make-up artist }} | television = ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' (season 8) | years_active = 2016–present | known_for = }} '''Laila McQueen''' is the stage name of '''Tyler Devlin''', a drag performer and make-up artist based in Gloucester, Massachusetts.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |last3= |last4= |first4= |title=What's it like to be a drag queen in Gloucester? Ask Laila McQueen. - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2016/02/18/what-like-drag-queen-gloucester-ask-laila-mcqueen/eL61UC8IBDzB6tiS0pbYOJ/story.html |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=BostonGlobe.com |language=en-US |archive-date=2017-03-23 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170323212859/http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2016/02/18/what-like-drag-queen-gloucester-ask-laila-mcqueen/eL61UC8IBDzB6tiS0pbYOJ/story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Laila McQueen competed on season 8 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-02-02 |title='RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 8 Cast and Premiere Date — Meet the Queens of the New Season |url=http://news.yahoo.com/rupauls-drag-race-season-8-205800249.html |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-US |archive-date=2016-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203101353/http://news.yahoo.com/rupauls-drag-race-season-8-205800249.html |url-status=live }}</ref> She has won a Primetime Emmy Award as a make-up artist for the HBO reality series ''We're Here''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/tyler-laila-mcqueen-devlin|title=Tyler "Laila McQueen" Devlin|publisher=Academy of Television Arts & Sciences|access-date=January 27, 2024}}</ref>
== Early life == Devlin was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts to Cathy and Michael Devlin.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Gail |date=2022-09-09 |title=Gloucester man wins Emmy for makeup on HBO series |url=https://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/gloucester-man-wins-emmy-for-makeup-on-hbo-series/article_7f02551a-2ec4-11ed-9cc1-fbc9e091b1ce.html |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=Gloucester Daily Times |language=en |archive-date=2022-09-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909092241/https://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/gloucester-man-wins-emmy-for-makeup-on-hbo-series/article_7f02551a-2ec4-11ed-9cc1-fbc9e091b1ce.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He was artistic in school, which led to bullying from his peers.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2016-03-18 |title=Gurl Talk: A chat with Laila McQueen |url=https://www.outfrontmagazine.com/gurl-talk-chat-laila-mcqueen/ |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=OUT FRONT |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-09-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926022640/https://www.outfrontmagazine.com/gurl-talk-chat-laila-mcqueen/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Devlin started cross dressing in high school at age 15 to ignore the bullying and to showcase his creative outlet before doing drag as a career at 18.<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto">{{Cite web |date=2022-09-09 |title=Gloucester man wins Emmy for makeup on HBO series |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/gloucester-man-wins-emmy-makeup-140200308.html |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=Yahoo Sports |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-09-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926022658/https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/widget_iframe.2b2d73daf636805223fb11d48f3e94f7.html?origin=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="auto2"/> He graduated from Gloucester High School in 2011.<ref name="auto"/>
Devlin moved to Manchester, New Hampshire in 2011 to attend art school and graduated from New Hampshire Institute of Art in 2015,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allen |first=Timothy |date=2016-03-30 |title=10 Things You Never Knew About Laila McQueen |url=https://www.queerty.com/10-things-you-never-knew-about-laila-mcqueen-20160330 |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=Queerty |archive-date=2022-12-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210060640/https://www.queerty.com/10-things-you-never-knew-about-laila-mcqueen-20160330 |url-status=live }}</ref> before he moved back to Gloucester.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2016-03-07 |title=Gloucester's Laila McQueen on 'RuPaul's Drag Race' |url=https://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/local_news/gloucesters-laila-mcqueen-on-rupauls-drag-race/article_5beccac4-8de7-5555-a0dd-eb5a786fdc45.html |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=Gloucester Daily Times |language=en |archive-date=2023-09-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926022640/https://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/local_news/gloucesters-laila-mcqueen-on-rupauls-drag-race/article_5beccac4-8de7-5555-a0dd-eb5a786fdc45.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Career == [[File:DSC05853 (37234944721).jpg|thumb|Laila McQueen (''right'') at RuPaul's DragCon NYC, 2017]] In 2016, Laila McQueen was cast for season 8 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. On the first episode, she placed in the bottom with Naysha Lopez and won a lip sync to "Applause" by Lady Gaga.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/recap/rupauls-drag-race-season-8-premiere/|title='RuPaul's Drag Race' premiere recap: Meet the 12 new queens in the show's 100th episode|first1=Stephan Lee|last1=March 08|first2=2016 at 04:09 AM|last2=EST|website=EW.com|accessdate=25 September 2023|archive-date=18 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818024912/https://ew.com/recap/rupauls-drag-race-season-8-premiere/|url-status=live}}</ref> On the second episode, she placed in the bottom again with Dax ExclamationPoint. Both were eliminated after a lip sync to "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/recap/rupauls-drag-race-season-8-episode-2/|title='RuPaul's Drag Race' recap: Get ready for one aca-mazing episode|first1=Stephan Lee|last1=March 15|first2=2016 at 01:52 AM|last2=EDT|website=EW.com|accessdate=25 September 2023|archive-date=20 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420181547/https://ew.com/recap/rupauls-drag-race-season-8-episode-2/|url-status=live}}</ref> Laila McQueen has said she wanted to impersonate Betsey Johnson, Courtney Love, or Theresa Caputo for the Snatch Game challenge.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eOk-lWRo84|title=Whatcha Packin': Laila McQueen | S8 E2 | RuPaul's Drag Race|date=March 15, 2016 |accessdate=25 September 2023|via=www.youtube.com|archive-date=22 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422072423/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eOk-lWRo84|url-status=live}}</ref>
After ''Drag Race'', she worked as a make-up artist from ''RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race'' with Shannel and Mayhem Miller.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.out.com/television/2020/4/25/these-queens-actually-did-celebrity-drag-races-makeovers|title=These Queens Actually Did 'Celebrity Drag Race's Makeovers|website=www.out.com|accessdate=25 September 2023|archive-date=26 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526204129/https://www.out.com/television/2020/4/25/these-queens-actually-did-celebrity-drag-races-makeovers|url-status=live}}</ref> Laila McQueen did make-up for Jordan Connor on the show. Later on, she also did make-up for the cast of ''We're Here''. In 2022, Laila McQueen won the Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program for her work on the episode "Kona, Hawaii".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dailyvoice.com/massachusetts/essex/news/gloucester-rupauls-drag-race-alum-wins-makeup-emmy-for-popular-hbo-show/843292/|title=Gloucester 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Alum Wins Makeup Emmy For Popular HBO Show|date=12 September 2022|website=Essex Daily Voice|accessdate=25 September 2023|archive-date=12 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220912183819/https://dailyvoice.com/massachusetts/essex/news/gloucester-rupauls-drag-race-alum-wins-makeup-emmy-for-popular-hbo-show/843292/|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Personal life == Devlin has a sensory-based disorder called misophonia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.queerty.com/10-things-you-never-knew-about-laila-mcqueen-20160330|title=10 Things You Never Knew About Laila McQueen|first=Timothy|last=Allen|date=30 March 2016|website=Queerty|accessdate=25 September 2023|archive-date=10 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210060640/https://www.queerty.com/10-things-you-never-knew-about-laila-mcqueen-20160330|url-status=live}}</ref> He has lived in Chicago, Illinois, since 2017,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/cape-ann-beacon/2017/10/10/laila-mcqueen-returns-to-gloucester/18341347007/|title=Laila McQueen returns to Gloucester for one-night drag queen spectacular|first=Tim|last=McCarthy|website=Wicked Local|accessdate=25 September 2023|archive-date=26 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926022640/https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/cape-ann-beacon/2017/10/10/laila-mcqueen-returns-to-gloucester/18341347007/|url-status=live}}</ref> but works in many locations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/gloucester-man-wins-emmy-makeup-140200308.html|title=Gloucester man wins Emmy for makeup on HBO series|date=9 September 2022|website=Yahoo Sports|accessdate=25 September 2023|archive-date=26 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926022658/https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/widget_iframe.2b2d73daf636805223fb11d48f3e94f7.html?origin=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com|url-status=live}}</ref> When he was 19, he was banned from the University of Maine for a performance that involved a Bible being covered in blood.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outfrontmagazine.com/laila-mcqueen-set-slay-blowpony-pride/|title=Laila McQueen Set to Slay BlowPony During Pride|first=Denny|last=Patterson|date=8 June 2017|website=OUT FRONT|accessdate=25 September 2023|archive-date=26 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926022641/https://www.outfrontmagazine.com/laila-mcqueen-set-slay-blowpony-pride/|url-status=live}}</ref>
When asked about describing her drag, Laila McQueen said "I'm an idiot, I'm such an idiot. I just like to have fun and for other people to have fun, too. I started doing drag from a negative place to replace those feelings. I've always wanted to be a rock star and this is my way to express that, and I'm an artist above all else. Drag gave me an extension to capture those dreams you didn't think would happen, and I've gotten a lot of things I never thought I'd be able to."<ref name="auto1" />
== Awards and nominations == ===Emmy Awards=== {{main|Emmy Awards}} The Emmy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. McQueen has won 1 award.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/tyler-laila-mcqueen-devlin|title=Tyler "Laila McQueen" Devlin|accessdate=September 10, 2025}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="width:70%;" |- ! style="width:3%;"| Year ! style="width:23%;"| Award ! style="width:20%;"| Nominated work ! style="width:5%;"|Result |- |align="center"| 2022 |rowspan="2"| Outstanding Makeup For A Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Program |rowspan="2"| ''We're Here'' | {{won}} |- |align="center"| 2024 | {{nom}} |- |}
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Commons category-inline| Laila McQueen}}
{{RuPaul's Drag Race}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laila McQueen}} Category:1993 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people Category:American drag queens Category:American make-up artists Category:LGBTQ people from Massachusetts Category:LGBTQ people from New Hampshire Category:Primetime Emmy Award winners Laila McQueen Category:Drag performers from New Hampshire Category:Drag performers from Massachusetts Category:Drag performers from Chicago