The Reason Behind this Green Troll’s Shocking Emmys Ensemble

(CNN) — There are looks, there are looks, and then there’s whatever Princess Poppy was serving at the 2024 Emmys.

The RuPaul’s Drag Race alum showed up at the awards ceremony in support of the reality TV competition show giving what can only be described as “glamorous troll.” Fabulous green gown? She had it (and credited the dress to costume designer Bryn Costume). Movie-worthy makeup and prosthetics? She had it. A scary little purse with eyeballs on it? Oh, she had that too.

But don’t let the bag, custom-made by designer Li Shen Ooi, distract you from the rest of the ensemble. Poppy also sported fake lashes, lime green puffy mules, and a hairline that would have sent Renaissance-era nobility to their knees.

“Mainly I wanted to be a troll-slash-hag. I wanted to be so shocking that you just have to turn and look at me— in the worst way possible,” she told Entertainment Weekly.

So not just a look, but a made-you-look. As she elaborated to The Los Angeles Times: “I wanted to take everything that is rude and ugly about the usual decorum of awards and do the complete opposite… I wanted to be a troll, to literally and figuratively troll the Emmys.”

Princess Poppy told the Times that when she first started performing, she felt an “insurmountable amount of pressure to look gorgeous and beautiful.” But then she said she realized, “Oh wait, I can do the opposite.”

After stopping traffic on the red carpet, Princess Poppy graced the stage with many of her fellow season 15 contestants as RuPaul’s Drag Race won its fifth Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition Program. With the show’s accolades, producer and drag legend RuPaul has become the most-decorated person of color to be honored at the Primetime Emmys.

RuPaul took the moment to advocate for LGBTQ rights in a speech so earnest one hardly noticed the green troll standing in the background.

“If a drag queen wants to read you a story at a library, listen to her—because knowledge is power and if someone tries to restrict your access to power, they are trying to scare you,” the TV icon said.

As for Princess Poppy, she’s had a mixed relationship with drag (and fame) since being eliminated from her season of Drag Race, which aired last year.

“Drag, to me, as a career, wasn’t always a long-term thing. I went into this process knowing that I don’t want to pursue drag full-time, forever,” she told Entertainment Weekly in 2023.

“It’s OK to not want to be famous,” she added.

Being a troll though? A different thing altogether.

Drag Race fans didn’t miss the irony of her look. “I’m obsessed with Princess Poppy,” one X user said alongside a video of the drag queen dancing in full troll look during the event. “Princess Poppy un-retired from drag just to end the entire industry. You can’t top this,” added another.

Princess Poppy was obviously pleased with the responses. She posted a few reactions on Instagram, where the compliments kept on coming.

(And to the person who commented, “S***ing on the goblin mother toilet” under that same post: get well soon.)

CNN has reached out to Princess Poppy for further comment on her conversation-stealing look.

Editor’s note: Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days.

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