Jimbo

James Insell, known professionally as Jimbo, was born on November 10, 1982, in London, Ontario, Canada. From a young age, both James and his brother Jeff showed an interest in creative pursuits, including early drag play. Respecting his father’s wishes for a career-oriented education, Jimbo pursued a Bachelor of Science in biology at the University of Western Ontario. After graduating, he shifted away from biology and moved to Victoria, British Columbia, where he began working as a costume and production designer. His early career involved significant work in local theatre productions, including notable roles as costume and production designer for ‘James and the Giant Peach’ and ‘The Rocky Horror Show’. He also contributed to television films produced by Front Street Pictures for the Hallmark Channel and the children’s television series ‘Pup Academy’.

Jimbo gained widespread recognition in 2020 as a contestant on the first season of ‘Canada’s Drag Race’, quickly becoming a fan favorite. His performance as Joan Rivers in the ‘Snatch Game’ challenge was particularly acclaimed. Following his appearance on ‘Canada’s Drag Race’, Jimbo toured the United Kingdom with the Klub Kids show. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he launched a line of face masks through his design studio, donating a mask to a homeless or low-income person for every purchase. He also initiated a Kickstarter campaign for ‘House of Jimbo’, a comedy and variety series he envisions as a framework of a kids’ show designed for adults.

In 2022, Jimbo competed in the first series of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. the World’, winning the first two episodes before a controversial elimination in the third episode. He returned to the ‘Drag Race’ franchise in 2023 for the eighth season of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’, where he ultimately won the competition, earning a cash prize of $200,000, plus an additional $20,000 for challenge wins, totaling $220,000. Following this victory, he launched his own WOW Presents Plus series, ‘It’s my Special Show!’, which premiered on August 7, 2023. In November 2023, Jimbo signed with talent agencies WME and Producer Entertainment Group, marking further career expansion.