Samira Wiley & Laverne Cox’s Lip Sync Battle Is a Real Party In Your Pants

Last night Samira Wiley and Laverne Cox went head-to-head on Lip Sync Battle and it’s the best and hottest thing that’s happened this whole entire year, and that’s just plain facts. Laverne Cox performed Nicki Minaj’s “Roman’s Revenge” in the first round, complete with those leg kicks. Okay, and then she went full Beyonce in round two with “Lose My Breath.” An actual real life drumline accompanied her, and she did the splits. Samira Wiley kicked her set off with Toni Braxton’s “Un-Break My Heart” in round one, and then brought it home with Naughty By Nature’s “O.P.P.” in a performance that included a cameo by Naught By Nature. Y’all. Holy cats!

Look, just watch the whole thing. Here’s their pre-show. (I cued it up so it goes straight to their interviews because I love you.)

Here’s Laverne doing “Roman’s Revenge.”

https://youtu.be/E81tbaETaEk

And here’s the final, pants-on-fire round.

https://youtu.be/nkMdURRxZbU

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Heather Hogan

Heather Hogan is an Autostraddle senior editor who lives in New York City with her wife, Stacy, and their cackle of rescued pets. She's a member of the Television Critics Association, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, and a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer critic. You can also find her on Twitter and Instagram.

Heather has written 1718 articles for us.

30 Comments

  1. I won’t remember 2016 as the year I had to look at Donald Trump’s face every day. I will remember it as the year I got to see THIS VIDEO.

  2. This made my whole life. Love these women and these performances. Samira Wiley was great but Laverne is a professional, she makes it look easy while totally slaying. *heart eyes*

    Also I love, for a show that’s so derivative of RuPaul’s Drag Race but denies it, to have black LGBT women front and center in this ep. Bringing queer culture back into lip sync!!!!

  4. I’m sure this is the best thing ever, but where is my coverage of the lesbian love story Black Mirror episode?!?! I need your unique insights, captions and gifs!

    It’s seriously amazing. It’s like someone decided to mix up Sixteen Candles, Brokeback Mountain and The Matrix, add a dash of hope and then make Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mackenzie Davis kiss just to set it off.

    • I just Googled it and saw that you labeled it complicated and you’ll cover it soon. Looking forward to it!

  8. I CANNOT HANDLE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING

    I CANNOT HANDLE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING

    I CANNOT HANDLE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING

    **faints**

  13. Love this so much!

    I also need a pair of overalls. I’m ready to bring the 90’s back with Samira. Damn.

  17. Laverne said she had the flu…and did you SEE that performance??
    DO YOU KNOW WHAT I LOOK LIKE WHEN I HAVE THE FLU??

    She is a goddess!! I love Samira, I really do, but Laverne killed it and there’s no denying it.

    (Samira, if you need someone to eat a pint of ice cream with, call me!)

  18. Seriously, this is the way to true greatness. Face it, film acting never worked, because that much and that sort of cheese belongs only in the dialogue of Dave Lister from Red Dwarf – but with a good studio to synthesise the sound, fuck, Laverne is abso-fucking-lutely the most awesome future popstar ever. <3 <3 <3

  20. Samira is the most adorable everything, BUT anybody who can do the splits in 4-inch high heeled boots is clearly –

    Wait wait, let me start that again. Anybody who can do the splits in 4-inch high heeled boots WHILE SICK WITH THE FLU and make it look like child’s play is clearly the winner.

  21. In this moment I feel blessed to exist at the same time as Laverne Cox and Samira Wiley.
    So flawless, god damn.

  23. i am still GAGGED over Laverne’s split. Like goddamn. and when Samira did that “you’re not ready” speech in the camera omg

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