Monét X Change Reveals What Made Her Suspect Lisa Rinna on 'The Traitors' (Exclusive)
- - Monét X Change Reveals What Made Her Suspect Lisa Rinna on 'The Traitors' (Exclusive)
Mike BloomJanuary 16, 2026 at 11:47 PM
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Euan Cherry/PEACOCK
The Traitors Season 4 has arrived! Throughout the season, Mike Bloom will speak with someone from the star-studded cast who was murdered or banished on the iconic Peacock reality series.Monét X Change came to Scotland for blood, and she was ready to soak it up. While predominantly known for her legendary run on RuPaul's Drag Race, she was looking to add a cloak to her crown, hoping to lean into her love of social strategy shows. And, while she was picked as a Faithful, Monét was ready to work the Round Table like the runway and put her observational skills to the test.
🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 Unfortunately, that's exactly what got her the chop. Whether unconscious or not, Monét's "Traidar" was picking up suspicious vibes from Lisa Rinna. Unfortunately, she chose the exact wrong person to spill her suspicions to: Candiace Dillard Bassett. For an absolute lip sync powerhouse, Monét had no voice in the turret, as Candiace brought this information to her fellow Housewife and Traitor. And so, feeling she was too hot on their trail, they dragged the drag queen out of the game. But hey, at least she lasted one episode longer than Bob the Drag Queen!Now out of the game, Monét talks with Parade about what made her suspect Lisa, her choice in telling Candiace about her suspicions, and what show she's eyeing an apperance on after being robbed of the choice to lie, cheat and steal.
Related: Everything to Know About The Traitors Season 4
So I know you are a big fan of social strategy games. So when you got the chance to play one in Traitors, what was your reaction?Oh my God. I was so, so, so excited. I love this game. I've been a fan of Traitors since Season 1, Episode 1. I always say I was a fan of OG Traitors when they had the civilians and the celebrities together, okay? So I've been a big fan of Traitors. When I got the opportunity and I got cast on, I was like, "Oh yes!" I played a little mini version of Survivor. And now this is this real-life, immersive whodunnit thing. And I was so excited, also, just getting there, seeing how much the show, the crew, they care about the integrity of the game. I think that's why I love it even more. Because you really are in this castle feeling like, "Oh my God. This is really happening. People are really getting killed. People are really getting banished." That's what it really feels like. And I couldn't be happy with the experience.Well, unfortunately, you are one of the people who was really getting killed, which is why you're talking with me today. I watched your interview on the Official Traitors Podcast, where you said you weren't completely surprised at your murder, feeling responsible for Tiffany's banishment. Talk to me more about that.I think that with Tiffany's banishment, I thought Tiffany became a Traitor on Night 1. I thought she was one of the I thought she was the Traitor chosen in plain sight that first night. So I had always had suspicions of her. So when the group was going that way, I was like, "Okay, well, this is a way to confirm or not my feeling about Tiffany." And I ended up being wrong, but that's part of the trade! IIf she didn't go home that night, I'd have been kicking myself that, "Oh my God. Tiffany could have been a Traitor the whole time, I didn't know." So it's really tough to play the game and the mental gymnastics of, "Well, if I didn't send Tiffany home, maybe she would have went home instead of me." You can't play like that, because you just never know what wealth of problems that would have brought. So yeah, and when the Traitor chose me that night in the turret, I thought that maybe Candiace chose me because she saw I went for Tiffany, and she was so emotional about Tiffany. But now hearing what their real reasons were, I'm still gagged, honey!Well the real reason was that you were onto Lisa Rinna as a Traitor! Talk to me what about led to the "vibes" that had you suspecting her. And why did you decide to tell Candiace, of all people, about your suspicions?I know Lisa Rinna as a celebrity I've seen on social media. I know Lisa right now, but I've never watched Housewives of Beverly Hills, so I didn't really know her lore. And the more we're in the castle, people were talking about some of the things she's done in the show, and then how she was like cracking wine bottles and about to slice people for just talking about her husband. I was like, "Oh, she's a treacherous lady!" And then after the night of Caroline's murder, Natalie and I were both like, "She's doing a lot." Her story about the [tree] felt like something was amiss here. So that was another like indicator that she may be maybe a Traitor. And I trusted Candiace because I just genuinely trusted Candiace. I think going playing the game, you just have to trust people. Otherwise you're always shooting blanks, always shooting in the dark. You feel like you're alone. So my people, I thought, were really trustworthy were Colton, Natalie, Porscha, Rob C. and Candiace. I thought to myself, "These people are 100% Faithfuls. There's no way they're not." I really felt that about them. And when Lisa hijacked [me and] wanted to be on my team, I was like, "Oh God." And I was saying to Candiace, "I think she might be a Traitor." And I think she didn't want to be left behind, like the challenge before, so she was just trying to get on any team. But it just felt a little weird. And I confided in Candiace, and she betrayed me.Talk to me more about the interrogating you did about the face-to-face murder. Did that change any of your opinions about anybody?No. And I think that was another time, because Lisa, you could tell she was thinking a lot. Whereas Ron was divulging information, she was like, "Oh yeah, this happened, and that happened. It was...a leather mask!" You could tell she she was really thinking about it. And again, that may just be the years and years of Housewife abuse trauma. But she just felt like she was just really trying to really remember. And so that's why I thought, again, something's weird here.Besides Lisa, who was at the top of your suspect list by the time you were murdered?I thought, in a world where Tara could have been a Traitor, because no one would suspect her. She's so just quiet and just kind of letting the game happen around her. She never says a single name. She's just like, "I don't know. Pirouette, pirouette." She just is not thinking about anything. So I thought maybe she could have been [one] because it would be great cover. I mean, I genuinely thought that Michael Rapaport was a trader. Because I was like, "He must be playing some next-level thing." I thought that he was intentionally playing as a bad Traitor so we wouldn't think he was a Traitor. And I think I'm giving him too much credit. But I thought that maybe he was just trying to do some 4-D chess, like, "I'm so bad as a Traitor, because I'm not one." That's why I thought maybe what was happening there.I have to ask, what was Bob's reaction when you came back and told them what happened?[Laughs.] So I get my phone back on the plane, I land in the States. And he sees my number; I call him. He goes, "Noooooo, Monet, no!" I was like, "Hey, girl" He's like, "Monét, why are you calling me already?!" I was like, "Girl, they got me!" And he was like, "No!" He was really beat up about it. But maybe this is just another reason for when I go back to The Traitors. It's me and Bob, and I get to send Bob home.Well before that sibling rivalry returnee season happens, what other queens do you want to follow in your heel-laden footsteps onto a future season of The Traitors?Oh, baby, we need to have Bianca Del Rio in the castle. Bianca Del Rio would be delicious in that castle. And I'm gonna go to the judges; table. We need TS Madison. TS Madison would be so good on The Traitors. It will be appointment television. And I'm gonna go for Michelle Visage too. I think Michelle Visage would be a spicy addition to to The Traitors castle. I think those would be some great drag race representations.You know the minute those blindfolds come off, she'll go, "You're wearing green. That's Traitor behavior!"[Laughs.] Michelle had the most arbitrary reasons why people are traitors, and it will make great television.Well now I want to turn the mirror back onto you, as we are wont to do. Now that you've had a taste of the strategic reality shows, are there any others you'd want to go on?I mean, I will always be a Survivor stan. I love Survivor. I would love to play survivor for reals, not just "Influencer Island." I want to play the game of Survivor. And doing the little influencer one was a nice little taste. But I think I'm ready to dive headfirst into the real thing and lose 30 pounds in 26 days and and play Survivor. Especially, I know I'm going to feel that way even more after watching 50 with the legends doing it again. So yeah, I want to play Survivor. I want to play some more strategy games, and I'm down to any game that gets me to strategize and deceive and lie, cheat and steal. That's my biggest regret of Traitors is that Alan didn't choose me to do what I do best, which is to lie and deceive. That is where I thrive, girl! That's where my heart vibrates. But who knows? If I get a chance to go back, I will obviously welcome with open arms, and we'll see whatever what tarot card I get dealt this time.
Related: Tiffany Mitchell Says ‘The Traitors’ Round Table Was Even More Intense Than Fans Saw (Exclusive)
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
