Daily Inspiration: Meet Emily Westheimer Aka “Siri”

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Westheimer Aka “Siri”.

Hi Emily Westheimer, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born into a political cult, which was a terrible idea that I promise to never repeat. The cult was obsessed with (among other things like embezzlement and nuclear war) classical European culture, so I started acting in plays they’d produce at age 3.

I acted until I came out as trans when I was 14. Nobody would cast me as a girl, and being onstage isn’t great for someone receiving death threats, so I began to direct..

In 2017 I graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in theater (which feels like a one-liner but it’s the truth) and moved to LA to direct. Instead, I fell wigfirst into the downtown LA drag community. When COVID hit I took my growing brand of neon, paradoxically surreal yet grounded vibes online and began hosting a chaotic and absurdist drag/variety show called Fake Smart (a reference to my drag name “Siri” and a play on the phrase Artificial Intelligence) – when lockdowns lifted I began hosting Fake Smart IRL at Redline DTLA.

I’d also begun to act again and booked a couple music videos and short films. In 2022 I snagged my first reps, in 2024 I was cast as Meow Wolf’s extraterrestrial true crime/beauty influencer “Tracking Error”. You can see me in the app at Meow Wolf Convergence Station in Denver, CO!

In 2025 I pitched a wildly irreverent drag whodunnit called “The Miss Woof Woof Doggy VisionEyez BarkUP Sparkling Sunshine State Drag Pageant Spectacular 2025” and was accepted into The Elysian Theater’s infamous “Spaghetti Festival”. The play is a pitch-black comedy; like if Clue, Waiting for Guffman, and Drop Dead Gorgeous had a homicidal drag baby. I developed the play with my dear friend and brilliant writer AP Andrews – then cast it, directed it, was in it, and the play was a SMASH hit. We sold out, got a standing O, and don’t tell anybody, but we’re back by popular demand on April 11th at 9:30 p.m.

Of course, I left out a ton of important touchpoints in the journey. I do stand-up, I clown, I’m building a nonprofit. I could go on, but I’ve gotta have SOME material left for my Instagram bio.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oof. I’m a whole transgender woman and cult survivor with chronic foot pain and self-esteem issues, so yeah, I’d say it’s been pretty chill.

Here are some notable ways in which it’s been a relaxing, bumpless road:

Part of how a cult works is by coercing you into performing a pre-ordained feeling while brutally repressing your true emotions. This does not lend itself to believability in acting, trust in artistic collaborators, or stable mental health.
If you’re not transgender, you might have a difficult time imagining the extent to which it can drain your resources. I came out when I was 14, and have been visibly queer since 9 months after conception. I’ve spent most of my life being insulted, terrorized, objectified, and the victim of countless crimes. It’s kind of a gag to be stereotyped as a predator when I feel like half the world can’t decide if they want to sleep with me against my will or violently end my life.
Also on the trans note, the paperwork is crazy, surgery is hard, and always having to figure out just how much of an “other” anyone sees you as is exhausting.
My body and mind have a little timer on them – if I’m not careful I experience excruciating pain and burnout. Naturally, I was divinely directed into a career that requires me to entertain crowds, wear heels, and be on my feet for extended periods of time.

I could go on, but I’ve gotta have SOME material left for my therapist.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m one of those (strikethrough) annoying (strikethrough) brilliant LA multi-hyphenates. I’m an actress, director, writer, drag performer, comedian, emcee, a nonprofit founder, and also unemployed. How is that possible?!

I allow my ADHD to guide me, taking me to the most fabulous and unexpected places – places that make life worth living.

I’ve had people throw ravioli all over my naked body as part of a performance art-y love/sex ritual piece that I swear actually manifested the love of my life. I’ve been paid to dance in full clown on a real yacht (but a fake beach) in the middle of a forest in Michigan. I’ve worked with artists who I used to sneak onto the computer in the middle of the night to study online, artists who showed me that the kind of queer person I’d like to be was possible – Austin Young, Latrice Royale, Alyssa Edwards, the girls from 5awesometrannys (IYKYK!), Zackary Drucker… I have a frickin’ song on iTunes.

And somehow I’m most known for cleaning my apartment in a timelapse every week. I call it “Chores Day”. 4 years at an elite liberal arts school to study the craft of theatre and 7+ years as a performing artist in LA but people will stop me on the street only to tell me they watch Chores Day.

I could go on, but I’ve gotta have SOME material left for my one woman show.

What matters most to you? Why?
Is it crazy to say world peace? Either that or attention.

Everything’s interconnected, right? I go through what I go through in part because someone else is going through something else. I come from generational wealth – I have plenty of worries but whether I’ll have enough to eat tomorrow isn’t one of them, and don’t let me upper-middle-class-splain to you but that isn’t a small privilege. Hunger breeds resentment, meagerness doesn’t always provide a ton of space for being open minded about things like gender and sexuality – when people struggle for their daily necessities, black-and-white thinking is an easy place to turn. A God that will provide in the afterlife, a God that punishes everyone for the vice of one, an economic system that is zero sum – if we’re not talking about *Law Roach voice* ~The World~, then what the fuck are we talking about? It’s not that simple and there are big forces at play, but that’s part of why I feel like I can’t walk away from activism entirely. It’s not NOT selfish, but it is what it is.

And EVERYTHING doesn’t ALWAYS need to be about EVERYTHING. Sometimes it can just be about you and your socks or your feelings or your mom or whatever. But I think a lot about what my ~place~ is in the struggle – being a tiny transgender girlie raised in a cult makes chanting slogans in the street after curfew not the best gig for me – I tried to make my drag shows a place where activists could relax and laugh, where marginalized people could find some levity in the darkness. We forget, then we come back to it with a fuller cup, then we forget, then we come back to it. I tried (and still try) to provide a container for the heavy stuff – it’s not total escapism, it’s a way of leaning in gently and making the load a little lighter to bear.

I’m also really good at identifying skilled people and pairing them with each other: “you’re good at this, you’re good at this, you should talk” type of vibe. I do that when I cast drag shows, I do that when I cast plays, I do that as part of the work for a new nonprofit I’m building called Drag Performers United. I spend a lot of time listening to what folks in the community are upset about and trying to match people to those problems. Folks are struggling with receiving their payment in a timely manner (or at all)? Contract writing workshops. Folks don’t have the resources to create the numbers of their dreams? A free store/makerspace. Folks feel lonely and disconnected? A town hall series.

Genuinely, this work and directing Miss Woof Woof have been invaluable in keeping my head above water while an evil political cult that wants to kill me takes over the country.

I could go on, but I’ve gotta have SOME material left for my Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emilywestheimer.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siri_eh/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMetallicSharpie

Image Credits
@yuqstudios
@davidlaffe
@Rachel.z.photography