The Truth About Marti Cummings From Worst Cooks In America Season 24
Typically, "Worst Cooks in America" does not feature people with a pre-established profile. A lot of its charm comes from how everyday people who struggle to cook are given the tools to improve, at least somewhat. With Marti Gould Cummings, however, the show has brought on a star.
As they describe on their website, they have been performing as a drag artist in New York City for about a decade. They've performed in shows across the city, on cruises, and have an impressive range of podcast and TV show appearances. Perhaps their most viral moment, though, was when they performed a routine to the song "Baby Shark" in 2019. As NBC reported, Cummings saw that a 2-year-old was in the audience of a brunch-time performance. What they had to do was obvious. "When a 2 year old comes to brunch you perform baby shark for them!!!" they wrote in the viral tweet.
Cummings has not yet publicly given the reason behind their decision to audition for "Worst Cooks in America." However, when they announced their participation (and that of their drag daughter Peachez Iman-Cummings) on Instagram, their friends and fans exploded into enthusiasm. "OMG"s were scattered with abandon. So, they should have quite the audience for the season's premiere on January 5.
Marti Gould Cummings has run for office
The biggest non-drag project Marti Gould Cummings has been involved with thus far is their political career. After Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, Cummings realized the current Democratic party was not up for the task of reaching out to newer voters.
So, as they explained to The New York Times, they created the HK Dems, a political club focused on organizing voters in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. Success came quickly — in 2017, NewNowNext reported that the club helped elect a insurgent Tom Shanahan in a district election over Mickey Spillane Jr., the incumbent's nephew.
Such success prompted Cummings to run for office in the 2020 election. They set their sights on the 7th Council District of New York City. According to Gay City News, their platform included reducing the NYPD's budget, decriminalizing sex work, and increasing protections for gig workers. When presented with the inevitable question about what a drag artist can bring to politics, they told Vogue "Drag is about community organizing, community building, and bringing people together, and that's what our campaign has done."
However, despite a good initial showing, Cummings fell out of contention after the ninth round of vote counting (via New York City Board of Electors). Still, Marti Gould Cummings will likely win the hearts of viewers as they learn to cook with Anne Burrell on the 24th season of "Worst Cooks in America."