Last night’s Lip Sync For the Crown on the Drag Race Season 10 finale was not Asia O’Hara’s night. Her planned reveal — in which she meant to unleash a swarm of live butterflies from her bra, only to find they'd died — did not take wing, even if it did launch a thousand memes, and she was the first to be eliminated while Kameron Michaels was allowed to advance. After a three-way battle royale on the stage, it was Aquaria who ultimately snatched the coveted crown.

It may have been difficult to watch, but ButterflyGate, as it’s come to be known online, is unlikely to define Asia. Throughout Season 10, she dazzled viewers with her fierce fashion and her lip syncing chops. Her popularity surged after the reunion, in which she stood up for The Vixen, who walked off the set following a relitigation of her conflict with Eureka O’Hara. The ensuing conversation with RuPaul, in which Asia tearfully advocated for compassion, left some calling to make the show Asia O’Hara’s Drag Race.

We caught up with the big-hearted Texas queen to discuss her experience on the show, her feelings on those deceased butterflies, and her relationship with Mother Ru.

How are you feeling today, right after the finale?

I feel great. I’m relieved that the competition is over, and I’m very excited to see what Aquaria has in store for us as the winner.

You talked a lot about kindness on the show. Why is that necessary to you?

I think it’s necessary because most of us in the LGBTQ community come from a place where we’ve had to fight our whole lives to be relevant, just to be seen and be heard. So with that, a lot of kindness is lost. It’s because we’re just so used to fighting for the right reasons. But in that fighting, kindness, you know, it’s a value that’s often forgotten along the way.

What went through your mind the moment you realized the butterfly reveal wasn’t working?

Of course I felt disappointment and some embarrassment. But I just thought, you know, okay, I have to make it through this moment. It was a little bit of everything going through my mind.

Your back and forth with RuPaul at the reunion made a splash. How do you feel about it, and what’s your relationship with Ru like now?

It honestly wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I don’t even consider it a back and forth. We have those moments with people all day every day, and it’s my normal conversation style. I think a bigger deal was made out of it because it’s RuPaul. But really, it was just a normal conversation with him, and my relationship is the same as it was before.

And what about your relationship with The Vixen?

It’s the same. I was just with her last week! I’m great friends with her and with a lot of the girls. She’s like a sister to me, like most of the Season 10 girls are.

You’ve been covering your face up in your outfits that you’ve posted on social media lately. What’s going on?

You know, there comes a time in this competition where non-majority queens start to disappear to the fanbase. It happens every season, and it’s something the alumni warn you about. Covering my face is a physical representation of how I felt I was being perceived.

There are butterfly memes, but there’s also a meme of making it Asia O’Hara’s Drag Race. How do you feel about that?