One of the most popular contestants to sashay onto the catwalks of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Jiggly Caliente is a drag performer, actress and singer. Caliente – who refers to herself as New York’s “plus-sized Barbie” – is also famous for starring in the FX series Pose as Veronica Ferocity. The multi-talented diva dropped her debut music album T.H.O.T in early 2018, and made history as a co-host of Translation, the first major network talk show to be hosted by an all-trans cast.
Born Paulo Arabejo in Laguna, Phillipines, Caliente loved playing dress up as a child. She moved to America with her mother and brother when she was 10 and later pursued her dream of becoming a performer. Taking her drag name from the Pokémon character Jigglypuff, Caliente made it onto the fourth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2011. The glamorous star won the hearts of viewers and made a return to the franchise in 2021 in RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars Season 6.
Caliente has also enjoyed a hugely successful career as a singer and actress away from Drag Race, most famously starring as Veronica in two seasons of the hit American drama pose. The multi-talented diva has become a force to be reckoned with on the music scene, and rather than releasing a typical drag track stayed true to herself and released T.H.O.T., the first straight-up hip-hop based album by a Drag Race alumni. Caliente may not be your typical Ru girl, but she is always 100 percent the real Jiggly.