If you were anywhere near a TV in early 2020, you probably remember the name Brita Filter. Or maybe just "Brita."
That season of RuPaul's Drag Race was weird for everyone—we were all stuck inside, scrubbed in hand sanitizer, watching a group of queens navigate a competition that felt increasingly tense. But for Brita, real name Jesse Havea, the experience wasn't just a career milestone. It became a survival story.
The Queen Who "Ran" NYC
Before the cameras started rolling, Brita Filter was legendary. Honestly, "legendary" isn't even hyperbole here. She was the girl who was everywhere. You’d see her at Pieces, Hardware, or The Stonewall Inn. She was winning Glam Awards for Entertainer of the Year and Best Host.
She even performed with Katy Perry on Saturday Night Live.
When she was announced for Season 12, the New York scene basically said, "Well, obviously." She was the first Tongan queen to ever walk that runway. Her heritage is a massive part of who she is—she often talks about her "Mongan" (Mormon-Tongan) upbringing and how those roots shaped her resilience.
But then the show aired.
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And suddenly, the "Queen of NYC" label became a weapon. Fans on Twitter and Reddit started counting how many times she mentioned New York. The edit focused heavily on her friction with fellow contestant Aiden Zhane. What was meant to be a confident homecoming for a seasoned pro turned into a "villain" narrative that the internet swallowed whole.
The Cost of a "Villain Edit"
It’s easy to sit on a couch and judge a reality TV character. It’s a lot harder to be the person receiving death threats in your inbox while you're literally locked in your house during a global pandemic.
Brita’s experience is often cited as one of the darkest examples of toxic fandom. While the show was airing, she couldn't go out and perform to get that "hometown love" that usually balances out online hate. She was just sitting there, absorbing it.
The fallout was terrifyingly real.
- Cyberbullying: She received messages telling her to jump in front of a subway train.
- Mental Health Crisis: In 2023, Brita revealed she spent a month in a psychiatric ward struggling with suicidal ideation.
- Physical Health: Just a year after that, in early 2024, she suffered an acute heart attack at age 38.
She's been very candid about the fact that the stress, the substance abuse used to cope with the hate, and the trauma of that period nearly killed her. It’s a sobering reminder that there is a human being behind the sequins and the "spitting" puns.
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Activism and The Road Back
If you think she just disappeared, you haven't been paying attention. Jesse Havea didn't let the Brita Filter name die. Instead, they leaned into activism.
Brita became the National Co-Chair of Drag Out The Vote, a nonpartisan organization working to get people to the polls. She’s been a speaker at the DNC LGBTQ+ Gala. She even launched the "Queens for Kamala" initiative during the 2024 election cycle.
She basically took the "Queen of NYC" energy and turned it into "Queen of Mobilization."
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that Brita was "mean" because she lacked talent or was threatened. If you look at her theatrical background—studying at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), touring in Cinderella—it’s clear she’s a trained actor.
In her own words, she got "caught in her head." She was trying to play the game of reality TV rather than just being the Jesse that New York fell in love with.
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Where is Brita Filter Now?
As we move through 2026, Brita is in a much different headspace. She’s back to performing, but with boundaries. You can still catch her at her staple NYC spots like Hardware on Sundays for "Hot, Hoarse, & Horny," but the focus is on "wellness and grace."
She’s also been exploring more musical theater roots again. There’s a lot of chatter about her returning to the stage in a more "traditional" acting capacity, which makes sense given her AMDA training.
What you can do next to support the doll:
- Check her schedule: If you're in New York, go see her live at The Stonewall Inn. Drag is meant to be seen in person, not through a screen.
- Support Drag Out The Vote: The organization is still active and always needs volunteers to help with voter registration.
- Lead with kindness: Before you post a "shady" comment about a reality TV star, remember Brita's story. It costs nothing to be a decent person.
The "water filter" jokes are old. The real story is about a Tongan performer who hit rock bottom on a national stage and had the guts to rebuild herself from the ground up.