One of the Alamo City’s favorite drag performers, Waters said she will take a step back from performing once she begins cancer treatment.
SAN ANTONIO — An award-winning fixture of San Antonio’s drag scene will temporarily step back from performing after she says she was recently diagnosed with stage 3 cancer.
Kristi Waters, the reader’s choice winner for San Antonio Current’s Best Drag Performer four years running, made the announcement on social media, saying she’s “determined to fight with everything I’ve got and come back stronger.”
Waters said she will continue performing for drag show audiences until treatment begins. A date for that last show before chemotherapy hasn’t been announced just yet.
“A night to celebrate, cry a little, laugh a lot and feel your love,” she said of her impending last show. “I hope to see as many of you there as possible.”
Waters, who is set to host Sunday’s Out at the Tobin Pride Brunch, has been part of the San Antonio drag scene for a decade, having formerly worked in the classroom.
In 2021, she told KENS 5 about how being at the center of the stage taught her more about herself; it’s also where she earned her confidence that delights hundreds of people very weekend at Paramour at The Phipps, the swanky rooftop bar off St. Mary’s.
“You can’t worry about what the world thinks of you,” Waters said at the time. “Just accept yourself.”
Hundreds have offered words of encouragement to her on social media, where one follower wrote, “You have an army of people in your corner who are ready to support you in all the ways possible.”
“Don’t spend 1 second worrying,” another fan said on Instagram. “Your community has got you. Always.”
Waters says anyone wanting to provide financial support during her health battle can donate via Cash App to $TheKristiWaters or via Venmo to @TheKristiWatersOfficial.