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Jimbo (drag queen)

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Jimbo
Jimbo at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2023
Born
James Insell

(1982-11-10) November 10, 1982 (age 41)[1][non-primary source needed]
London, Ontario, Canada
EducationUniversity of Western Ontario (BS)
Occupation(s)Drag queen, designer
Years active2000s–present
Known forCanada's Drag Race (season 1)
RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World (series 1)
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 8)
PredecessorJinkx Monsoon
SuccessorAngeria Paris VanMicheals
Websitehouseofjimbo.com

James Insell (born November 10, 1982), better known by the stage name Jimbo, is a Canadian designer and drag queen who competed in the first season of Canada's Drag Race (2020),[2] was in the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World (2022),[3] and won the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (2023).[4]

Early life and education

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From London, Ontario, Insell, his brother Jeff, as well as sisters Samantha and Jennifer,[5] were born to Mary Insell[6] and James Peter Insell (1947–2018),[5] both boys being interested in creative pursuits from childhood, including early drag play.[7] His father received his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Western Ontario in 1983.[8] Respecting his father's wishes that he pursue a career-oriented education, he studied biology at the University of Western Ontario; following graduation, however, he opted not to pursue employment in the field and instead moved to Victoria, British Columbia, where he began working as a costume and production designer.[7] He is married to Brady Taylor.[9]

Career

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Insell has worked predominantly in local theatre, including productions of James and the Giant Peach[10] The Rocky Horror Show,[11] and Ride the Cyclone but has also had credits on a number of television films produced by Front Street Pictures for the Hallmark Channel,[7] and on the children's television series Pup Academy. He appeared in the music video for Victoria musician Adrian Chalifour's single "Open Heart".[12] He also appeared as the drag mother to British Columbian rapper bbno$ for the music video for his song "imma".[13]

Jimbo at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2022

He appeared on the first season of Canada's Drag Race in 2020, emerging as a popular fan favourite[14] and winning the key Snatch Game challenge for his performance as Joan Rivers,[15] but was eliminated from the competition in fourth place behind finalists Priyanka, Scarlett BoBo and Rita Baga.[16] For Fierté Montréal's special online edition of its annual Drag Superstars show, which featured all of the Canada's Drag Race queens in prerecorded video performances, Jimbo performed a drag recreation of The Buggles' 1979 hit "Video Killed the Radio Star".[citation needed]

Following Canada's Drag Race he toured the United Kingdom as part of the Klub Kids show with Rock M Sakura and Erika Klash,[17] and was the only queen from the season not to appear at any dates on the Canada's Drag Race Live at the Drive-In tour;[18] however, he did participate alongside Priyanka, Scarlett Bobo and Rita Baga in an online panel discussion as part of the Just for Laughs festival.[19]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, he also created a line of face masks through his design studio, with every purchase matched by a donation of a free mask to a homeless or low-income person,[2] and launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of House of Jimbo, a comedy and variety series he hopes to launch in the future.[20] Insell has described House of Jimbo as "the framework of a kids show, but really made for adults", comparable to Pee-wee's Playhouse or The Hilarious House of Frightenstein,[21] and the show reached its Kickstarter goal by the end of October 2020. At the same time the Chemainus-based Riot Brewing Company introduced Jimbo, a boysenberry-flavoured craft beer whose profits will go in part to funding House of Jimbo.[20]

In 2021, he made a return appearance in the second season of Canada's Drag Race, appearing in the third episode as the killer in the slasher film-themed acting challenge "Screech".[22] He returned in the third season of Canada's Drag Race in 2022, appearing as a guest judge in the episode "Bitch Stole My Look".[23]

In January 2022, he was announced as one of the nine contestants on the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World.[24] After winning the first two episodes of the season,[3] Jimbo landed in the bottom in the third episode and was eliminated by Pangina Heals, after Pangina Heals won a lipsync against Dutch contestant Janey Jacké to "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" by Vengaboys.[25] Jimbo's early elimination was dubbed one of the most "controversial" in the history of the franchise.[26]

Jimbo returned to the Drag Race franchise to compete on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (2023). After winning a record-tying 4 challenges over the course of the season, Jimbo was crowned the winner of the season and earned a cash prize of $200,000 plus $20,000 for the 4 challenges he won, totalling $220,000.[4] After the airing of the season, Jimbo was announced to host her own WOW Presents Plus series, It's my Special Show!, which premiered on August 7, 2023.[27] In November 2023, Jimbo signed with talent agencies WME and Producer Entertainment Group.[28]

In February 2024 Jimbo competed on Family Feud Canada, with a team consisting of his siblings Jeff and Rebecca, and Jimbo's and Jeff's husbands.

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2020 Canada's Drag Race (season 1) Herself Contestant (4th place)
2021 Canada's Drag Race (season 2) Guest; Episode 3
2022 RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World (series 1) Contestant (7th place)
Canada's Drag Race (season 3) Guest judge
2023 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 8)[4] Contestant (Winner)
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked
GMA3: What You Need to Know[29] Guest
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen[30] Guest
Good Morning America[31] Guest
RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 5) Special guest
2024 Drag Race Belgium (season 2) Guest

Music videos

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Year Title Artist Ref.
2019 "Open Heart" Adrian Chalifour [12]
2020 "imma" bbno$ [13]
2021 "Bitch I'm Busy" Priyanka [32]
2022 "Don't Call Me" Joseph Shepherd [33]
2023 "True Colors" Kylie Sonique Love [34]

Internet series

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Year Title Role Ref.
2021 Jimbo vs. Peas Herself [35]
2022 Bring Back My Girls Herself / Guest [36]
2023 Meet the Queens Herself / Stand-alone special [37]
EW News Flash Herself / Guest [38]
BuzzFeed Celeb Herself / Guest [39]
React to TikTok Trends by Allure Herself / Guest [40]
It's My Special Show! Herself / Host [27]
The Awardist Herself / Guest [41]

Discography

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Singles

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As lead artist

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Title Year Album
"Free & Horny" 2020 Non-album singles
"Angel"
"Pumpkin Tits"
[edit]
Title Year Album
"Not Sorry Aboot It"
(with the cast of Canada's Drag Race, season 1) 		2020 Non-album singles
"Money, Success, Fame, Glamour" (Disco version)
(with the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, season 8) 		2023
"Joan! The Unauthorized Rusical"
(with the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, season 8) 		2023 Joan! The Unauthorized Rusical Album[42]
"Trinity Ruins Christmas"
(Trinity the Tuck featuring Jimbo) 		Trinity Ruins Christmas: The Musical
"Good Enough"
(Trinity the Tuck featuring Jimbo)

References

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  1. ^ "Post by Jimbo". Instagram. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Mike Devlin, "Victoria's Jimbo seeks drag-queen crown" Archived October 15, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Victoria Times-Colonist, July 2, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Exclusive: Jimbo lets rip on her controversial Drag Race UK vs the World exit". GAY TIMES. February 16, 2022. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Sim, Bernardo (July 21, 2023). "Here's Who Won RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8". Out. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Obituary of James Peter Insell | Affordable Funeral Options". affordablefuneraloptions.ca.
  6. ^ @jimbothedragclown (May 14, 2023). "@maryinsell Is the best Momma in the world!! Happy Mother's Day Momma Mare Bear!" – via Instagram.
  7. ^ a b c Mollie Kaye, "James and his giant peach add sparkle to Victoria" Archived August 28, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Focus on Victoria, September 6, 2019.
  8. ^ Insell, James (January 1, 1983). "Studies On The Structure And Origin Of The Parasporal Inclusion Of Sporulating Bacilli". Digitized Theses.
  9. ^ @jimbothedragclown (July 21, 2023). "Look Momma I Did It!!" – via Instagram.
  10. ^ Adrian Chamberlain, "James and the Giant Peach goes high-tech" Archived July 27, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. Victoria Times-Colonist, November 10, 2016.
  11. ^ Travis Paterson, "Rocky Horror returns to the stage Wednesday" Archived October 18, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Victoria News, October 13, 2017.
  12. ^ a b Don Descoteau, "Chalifour bringing Joy to Victoria this weekend" Archived October 21, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Monday Magazine, November 25, 2019.
  13. ^ a b Bryen Dunn, "Canada's Drag Race – and then there were three!" Archived January 24, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. The Buzz, August 2020.
  14. ^ Joey Nolfi, "Jimbo ate sandwiches, the runway, and our hearts on Canada's Drag Race" Archived October 30, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Entertainment Weekly, August 27, 2020.
  15. ^ Kevin Ritchie, "Canada's Drag Race queen Jimbo on hyper-sexualized drag, the judging backlash and eating on the air" Archived September 28, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Now, August 28, 2020.
  16. ^ Sarah Taher, "After the Sashay: All the world loves a Jimbo" Archived October 8, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Daily Xtra, August 28, 2020.
  17. ^ Markus Bidaux, "'Canada's Drag Race': Jimbo spills the tea on Judge Jeffrey, Untucked and coming to the UK" Archived October 27, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Attitude, August 28, 2020.
  18. ^ Tyler Jadah, "Canada's Drag Race is coming to Montreal's drive-in venue this month" Archived October 2, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Daily Hive, September 10, 2020.
  19. ^ Jenelle Riley, "For Montreal's Just for Laughs, the Show Will Go On(line)" Archived October 13, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Variety, October 2, 2020.
  20. ^ a b Graham Cox, "Local brewery collaborates on new beer with popular Vancouver Island drag queen, Jimbo" Archived October 14, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. CHEK-DT, October 8, 2020.
  21. ^ Michael Cook, "Canada's Drag Race Standout Jimbo: 'We Have An Opportunity To Showcase Our Unique Take On Drag & Who We Are'" Archived September 18, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Instinct, September 6, 2020.
  22. ^ Kevin O'Keeffe, "'Canada's Drag Race' Season 2, Episode 3 recap: Scream, queen" Archived November 6, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Xtra!, October 29, 2021.
  23. ^ Joey Nolfi, "Brooke Lynn Hytes reunites with Werk Room crush Miss Vanjie on Canada's Drag Race season 3" Archived June 29, 2022, at the Wayback Machine. EW, June 29, 2022.
  24. ^ Nolfi, Joey (January 17, 2022). "RuPaul's Drag Race UK Versus the World cast adds international all-stars to new competition". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  25. ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race UK Versus the World spoilers - third queen exit". Digital Spy. February 15, 2022. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  26. ^ "These Are The 23 Most Controversial Eliminations In 'Drag Race' Herstory". Elite Daily. April 16, 2022. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  27. ^ a b "Jimbo Presents: It's my Special Show! Coming to WOW Presents Plus August 7th!". July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023 – via YouTube.
  28. ^ Pener, Degen (November 14, 2023). "Drag Star Jimbo Signs With WME and Producer Entertainment Group (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  29. ^ "Kandy Muse & Jimbo talk finale of 'RuPaul's Drag: Race All Stars'". ABC News. July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  30. ^ "Are These Bravolebrity Dads DILFY? | WWHL". July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ "The new queen of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' | GMA". July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023 – via YouTube.
  32. ^ Corey Atad, "'Canada's Drag Race' Winner Priyanka Releasing Debut EP 'Taste Test' Archived July 18, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. ET Canada, July 14, 2021.
  33. ^ Damshenas, Sam (March 25, 2022). "Drag Race star Jimbo plays a big-breasted Ghostface in Joseph Shepherd's debut music video". Gay Times. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  34. ^ "Kylie Sonique Love - True Colors ( Official Video)". May 18, 2023 – via YouTube.
  35. ^ White, Brett (October 26, 2021). "'Canada's Drag Race' Alum Jimbo Faces Fear in New WOW Presents Plus Show 'Jimbo vs. Peas' [EXCLUSIVE]". Decider. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  36. ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs. the World - Season 1". WOW Presents Plus.
  37. ^ RuPaul's Drag Race (April 20, 2023), Meet the Queens of All Stars 8! 🌟 | QUEEN RUVEAL | RuPaul's Drag Race AS8 👠✨, retrieved April 20, 2023
  38. ^ Jimbo talks Pangina Heals and Stealing RuPaul's Hair on Drag Race All Stars 8 | Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly. April 26, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  39. ^ The Queens Of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8" Play Who's Who. BuzzFeed Celeb. May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  40. ^ RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars S8 Queens React to TikTok Trends | Allure. Allure. May 30, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  41. ^ 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Winners Reunite to Reflect On 9 Emmy Nominations | Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly. August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  42. ^ "Joan! The Unauthorized Rusical". Spotify. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
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