Public Statement on Lexi Love® Trademark Enforcement v. Paramount, WOW, Cody Barnes

Today I am continuing my federal trademark enforcement action against Cody Barnes, World of Wonder Productions, Paramount Skydance Corporation, and the commercial media apparatus behind RuPaul’s Drag Race.

I wish litigation had not become necessary. For more than 20 years, I have built Lexi Love®, my professional SAG-AFTRA actor name, entertainment brand, and federally registered trademark.

I am not against drag, art, creative expression, commentary, or entertainment. I support creative careers and want people to succeed in ways that respect existing intellectual property rights. My objection is to the unauthorized commercial use of my registered LEXI LOVE® mark in television productions, promotion, media distribution, public appearances, merchandise, and brand monetization.

LEXI LOVE® is not a name Paramount, World of Wonder, RuPaul’s Drag Race, or Cody Barnes created or owns. It is my established trademarked identity and brand.

After receiving notice, the unauthorized use continued across a major global entertainment franchise and related commercial activity. This created consumer confusion and attached another person’s public persona to the goodwill I spent decades building.

To maintain my rights, I must prevent others from commercially using my mark without authorization. Trademark owners cannot selectively enforce their rights only when it is convenient. Failure to act risks weakening the ability to protect the mark from future misuse, confusion, dilution, and unauthorized exploitation.

Paramount’s position in this case makes the issue larger than Lexi Love®. It seeks to characterize the commercial use of an existing registered trademark in entertainment as protected expression under the First Amendment. If accepted, that theory could give powerful media companies a roadmap to adopt established trademarked names, monetize the attached goodwill, and avoid ordinary trademark accountability.

For these reasons, the unauthorized commercial use of LEXI LOVE® — and the attempt to shield that use through an expansive First Amendment defense — poses long-term threats to my brand, my professional identity, and trademark owners across industries.

Lexi Love®

Lexi Love stands up to Paramount for your trademark rights.