Joella (drag queen)
{{Short description|American drag performer}}
{{notability|1=Biographies|date=March 2025}}
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| name = Joella
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| other_names = Joella Perry{{cite web |url=https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/8991893 |title=Drag Story Hour |website=visit.lacountylibrary.org |publisher=LA County Library |access-date=December 5, 2024 |archive-date=December 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207003432/https://visit.lacountylibrary.org/event/8991893 |url-status=live }}
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| television = RuPaul's Drag Race (season 17)
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Joella is the stage name of Joey (born November 16, 1999),{{cite web |title=Whatcha Packin'💧 S17 E04 {{!}} RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 👠✨ |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bB8eFXj6FY |website=YouTube|date=January 25, 2025}} an American drag performer who competed on the seventeenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.{{Cite web |last=Tinoco |first=Armando |date=2024-12-04 |title='RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 17 Cast Photos, Trailer & Premiere Date Set At MTV |url=https://deadline.com/gallery/rupauls-drag-race-season-17-cast-photos-trailer-premiere-date-mtv/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Joella on being a fan fave & reviving 'Untucked' shade |url=https://www.pride.com/interviews/joella-drag-race-season-17#rebelltitem2 |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=www.pride.com |language=en}} She finished in thirteenth place.
Biography
Joella was raised in Corona, California.{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bB8eFXj6FY | title=Whatcha Packin' 💧 S17 E04 | RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 👠✨ | website=YouTube | date=24 January 2025 }}{{Better source needed|date=March 2025}}
= Career =
Joella is a drag performer also known as Joella Perry. In 2021, she performed alongside Katy Perry for the opening night of her Play concert residency at Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas.{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/katy-perry-beer-can-bra-las-vegas.amp |title=Katy Perry wears beer can bra in jaw-dropping performance for opening night of 'Play' residency in Las Vegas |last=Roberto |first=Melissa |website=foxnews.com |publisher=FOX News |access-date=December 5, 2024}} In 2023, Joella appeared in the music video for Baby Tate's song "Wig".{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/arts-culture/the-creativity-of-atlantas-baby-tate-knows-no-bounds/PSR4F22NLJGGTEFKZ7K2QP5SOM/ |title=The creativity of Atlanta's Baby Tate knows no bounds |last=Paige |first=DeAsia |website=ajc.com |publisher=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |access-date=December 5, 2024}} The first name of Joella's drag persona came from a friend from high school.{{cite web | url=https://jordanjayro.libsyn.com/the-marvel-of-it-all-with-joella-perry | title=Hey Gurl! With Jordan Jayro: "The Marvel of It All!" with Joella Perry | access-date=2024-12-06 | archive-date=2024-12-07 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207212658/https://jordanjayro.libsyn.com/the-marvel-of-it-all-with-joella-perry | url-status=live }}
On the seventeenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, Joella was eliminated on the fourth episode ("Bitch, I'm a Drag Queen!") after placing in the bottom two and losing a lip-sync contest against Kori King. Joella placed 13th overall.
Joella was labelled a "breakout star" of the season for her "mixture of confidence, emotional outbursts, and quotable commentary".{{cite web |last1=Shatto |first1=Rachel |title=Joella on being a meme queen, fan fave & reviving Untucked because it 'was so boring for so long' |url=https://www.pride.com/interviews/joella-drag-race-season-17 |website=Pride|date=January 27, 2025}} Her titling herself "the Slaysian diva of Los Angeles" sparked numerous commentaries and parodies.{{cite web |last1=Robledo |first1=Jordan |title=Drag Race: Joella shades anti-LGBTQ+ politicians with "ugliest dress" runway |url=https://www.gaytimes.com/drag/drag-race-joella-shades-anti-lgbtq-politicians-with-ugliest-dress-runway/ |website=Gay Times|date=March 24, 2025}}{{cite web |title=Is Joella "THE SLAYsian diva of Los Angeles"? |url=https://wheretofinddrag.com/is-joella-the-slaysian-diva-of-los-angeles/ |website=Where to Find Drag|date=January 30, 2025}} The runway outfit she wore during her elimination, resembling a "mattress... with a face-hole cut out of it and a giant print of RuPaul's Born Naked album cover photo", became beloved among the show's fans for its "absurd" and "camp" qualities.{{cite web |last1=O'Keeffe |first1=Kevin |title='RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 17, Episode 4 recap: Greatest hits |url=https://xtramagazine.com/culture/rupauls-drag-race-season-17-episode-4-recap-270750 |website=Xtra Magazine|date=January 27, 2025}}
Personal life
Joella is based in Koreatown, Los Angeles.{{Better source needed|date=March 2025}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-12-04 |title='RuPaul's Drag Race' Announces Season 17 Cast, Updated 'Rate-a-Queen' Twist |url=https://variety.com/lists/rupauls-drag-race-season-17-cast/joella/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} She is gender-fluid{{cite web | url=https://www.aol.com/drag-race-queen-joella-reveals-200000420.html | title="Drag Race" queen Joella reveals why she dropped Katy Perry's name from hers, talks pop star's 'scandalous' season 17" "spot | date=3 January 2025 | access-date=2025-01-06 | archive-date=2025-01-23 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123090246/https://www.aol.com/drag-race-queen-joella-reveals-200000420.html | url-status=live }} and of Chinese descent.{{cite web |url=https://joysauce.com/the-golden-era-of-asian-drag-is-now-but-whats-next/ |title=THE GOLDEN ERA OF ASIAN DRAG IS NOW—BUT WHAT'S NEXT? |last=Lawes Menchavez |first=Andre |website=joysauce.com |date=7 August 2024 |publisher=JoySauce |access-date=December 5, 2024 |archive-date=15 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250115002017/https://joysauce.com/the-golden-era-of-asian-drag-is-now-but-whats-next/ |url-status=live }}
Discography
= Singles =
Filmography
=Television=
- RuPaul's Drag Race (season 17, 2025)
- RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked (2025)
= Web series =
- Hello Hello Hello (2025), hosted by Kyran Thrax, World of Wonder