“RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Jiggly Caliente has died. She was 44. Caliente, whose real name is Bianca Castro, passed away after she was hospitalized for a “severe infection” and had one of her legs amputated. The tragic news was announced Sunday via an Instagram statement from Caliente’s family. Jiggly Caliente. Instagram / @ jigglycalienteofficial Jiggly Caliente … Read more
It was a good time. Liza Minnelli made a rare appearance on the season 17 finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” on Friday night, where she received the show’s Giving Us Lifetime Achievement Award. The honor recognizes people who’ve made an impact in the drag and fashion world. The crowd erupted in a round of applause as … Read more
British drag star James Lee Williams, known professionally as The Vivienne, has died at the age of 32. Williams shot to international fame as the winner of the first UK version of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2019, and became the first drag performer to compete on Britain’s Dancing on Ice in 2023. Their death was confirmed early on Monday … Read more
For years, decades even, the biggest VIP in the gay scene of New York nightlife has been a straight, Swiss-born woman. That would be Susanne Bartsch, the legendary club queen who has presided over generations of queer party boys — and other children of the counterculture — in the City That Never Sleeps. “You know, … Read more
Drag queen superstar Kandy Muse was reportedly assaulted at a club on Friday night after a drunk man violently grabbed her arm and “would not take no for an answer.” The “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) showing off the nail marks she sustained from the belligerent man. “Wasn’t going … Read more
Red card! “Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham’s former teacher said she would never have a career on TV — due to her physical appearance. “I had one drama teacher that said to the whole class: ‘Oh Hannah will never work on-screen because she looks like one side of her face has had a stroke,’ ” … Read more
The shocking moment a “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” winner was punched in the face as part of a violent summer attack was revealed last week during court proceedings. James Lee Williams, who won the first season of the show in 2019 as The Vivienne, said Friday he endured a “barrage of abuse” from Alan Whitfield after … Read more
Josh Seiter, “The Bachelorette” alum who claims a hacker got into his Instagram account Monday and falsely declared him dead, is denying an allegation that he faked his own “death.” “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Monica Beverly Hillz made the accusation to Entertainment Weekly while claiming she recently dated Seiter. “Me and Monica hung out a … Read more
Did Will Smith tell RuPaul to “sashay away?” David Steven Simon, who served as the executive producer of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” revealed Tuesday that Smith once reportedly rejected a proposed cameo featuring “Drag Race” star RuPaul Charles on the hit sitcom because it was “a bad idea.” “I remember him saying that would … Read more
Kelsea Ballerini made waves Sunday as co-host of the Country Music Television awards, with an emotional tribute to Nashville shooting victims and a performance with drag queens as a protest against Tennessee’s proposed laws. Ballerini, who co-hosted the show with Kane Brown in Austin, Tex., honored the six victims who were slain at the Nashville … Read more
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” fans can sashay to Build-A-Bear for a plush version of “The Queen of Drag” herself. The 62-year-old legend announced her collaboration with the retailer Wednesday in an Instagram video that showed her unboxing the “gorgeous” pre-stuffed brown bear dressed in a gold one-shoulder sequined gown. “I feel like a proud parent,” RuPaul … Read more
Madonna — and a drag queen — are bringing the “Celebration Tour” to Nashville this winter amid Tennessee’s new legislation against drag performers. The 64-year-old “Express Yourself” icon announced eight additional tour dates on Monday, one of which is in Music City on Dec. 22, where ticket proceeds will go toward transgender organizations. Joining her … Read more
Maren Morris got emotional Friday after fulfilling her “decade-long dream” of appearing as a guest on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and apologized for the way the country music world treated the LGBTQ community, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “I’ve done some cool s–t. #DragRace is rivaling it all. Getting my jacket framed next to my Grammy. It … Read more
Better late than never. RuPaul, Scorpio, drag superstar and wise sage once argued, “You’re born naked and the rest is drag…We are in reality, an extension of the power that created the whole universe. Can you handle it?” Halloween asks us to peer into that power and create ourselves anew in costume. Here’s hoping Ru. … Read more
Acclaimed comedian and woke warring Libra Dave Chappelle wasn’t joking when he professed that sometimes “Keeping It Real Goes Wrong.” Indeed Dave, indeed, but the pursuit of onscreen authenticity never fails to deliver the rich turmoil, trash, turpitude and triumphs we cherish. Real or wrong, we can’t get enough. For the better part of three … Read more