ABOVE: Aidan Kehoe takes the stage with the Broadway Brunch Bunch at Hamburger Mary’s Orlando. (Screenshot from YouTube)
ORLANDO | A Central Florida family’s Sunday brunch at Hamburger Mary’s in Orlando turned into an impromptu performance for a six-year-old drag fan as he joined the Broadway Brunch Bunch cast for a lip synch number that ended up going viral.
Parents Meghan and Adam Kehoe brought their son Aidan, a super fan of the hit series “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” to the popular family drag brunch show Feb. 7. When the performers found out Aidan is a “Drag Race,” they brought him up on stage.
After helping Aidan pick his official drag name, which is the name of your first pet and the street you live on, Sookie Mary was ready to make her Hamburger Mary’s stage debut performing “This is Me,” the Oscar-nominated song from the film “The Greatest Showman.”
The performance garnered a standing ovation and Aidan made $57 in tips, and a video of the lip synch blew up online, even making its way onto the TV show TMZ.
“My niece just messaged us and was like, Aiden is on TV right now,” Meghan Kehoe says. “I’m just so happy we have someone in our family who watches TMZ.”
Adam Kehoe admits he had never heard of other kids going to drag shows but did not question it when Aidan, whose interest in the art has grown since first watching “Drag Race” with his mom, wanted to go.
The couple say they are a very close family and were quite emotional as they watch Aidan perform.
“We were crying our eyes out … We are just so touched that so many other people were touched by him as well,” Meghan Kehoe says. “[Aidan] loves to perform. He expresses himself with music and movement and performing.”
Meghan Kehoe says she loves to see their son thrive and live his best life, and seeing other celebrate him for this came at a crucial time for the family.
Photos courtesy the Kehoe family.
“January and February are really difficult months for us,” Meghan Kehoe says. “Our first son that was stillborn and his birthday is Feb. 1, so we’re always in a family funk around this time of year. And it just felt like this came at such an important time.”
Aidan’s newfound fame has led him to think he’s a Mary’s regular, Meghan Kehoe says, even asking for a microphone so he can practice his songs. “It was definitely a confidence boost for him,” Adam Kehoe adds. The couple are considering letting Aidan start a YouTube channel to help him continue to build his confidence and build a space for his creativity.
Reflecting all the attention they received, Meghan Kehoe says she’s not only surprised by the huge positive responses but she is happy to say there has been very little negative response.
“I think that what floored me is we haven’t received a lot of hate. This is affirmed love and joy transcends. It can reach people,” she says. “As a parent, you make thousands of decisions every day and you question all of them. So it’s just been so much encouragement from people saying you’re doing a good job. It’s amazing.”
The couple says they’ve been deeply touched reading the comments on the video and hearing the community’s stories.
“We’ve heard from a lot more adults that have said, ‘I really appreciate you doing this because I was never accepted as a child,’” Meghan Kehoe says, “and my message to them is I’m your mom now. We’re your family and we accept you. We love you and we support you, keep doing you.”
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