Kerri Colby
{{Short description|American drag performer}}
{{Infobox person
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| name = Kerri Colby
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| image = Kerri Colby at RuPaul's DragCon LA 2024 (cropped).jpg
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| caption = Kerri Colby at RuPaul's DragCon LA, 2024
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|7|30}}
| birth_place = Dallas, Texas, U.S.
| other_names = Elyse Alessandra Anderson
Kerri Elyse Colby
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| occupation = Drag performer
| years_active = 2016–present
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| known_for = Drag Performer
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| height = 5 ft 11 in
| television = RuPaul's Drag Race (season 14) and RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 10)
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| website = {{URL|kerricolby.com}}
| signature = Kerri Colby Signature.png
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Kerri Colby is the stage name of Elyse Alessandra Anderson (born July 30, 1996), an American drag performer best known for competing on season 14 of RuPaul's Drag Race, where she placed ninth overall, and season 10 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.{{cite news|url= https://ew.com/rupauls-drag-race-all-stars-10-cast-revealed-11719777|title=RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10 cast announced with major format change: See 18 returning queens on largest cast ever|date=April 23, 2025|first=Joey|last=Nolfi|website=Deadline|access-date=April 24, 2025}} Kerri Colby is based in Los Angeles, California.{{cite web|last=Nolfi|first=Joey|date=2022-03-25|website=Yahoo! Money|language=en-US|access-date=2022-04-18|url=https://money.yahoo.com/drag-race-star-kerri-colby-135841367.html|title=Drag Race star Kerri Colby just wore Jennifer Lopez's dress to perform with Jennifer Lopez|archive-date=2022-04-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425044721/https://money.yahoo.com/drag-race-star-kerri-colby-135841367.html|url-status=live}}
Early life
Anderson was born in Dallas, Texas.{{Cite web |last=Guerra |first=Joey |title=Q&A: 'Drag Race' queen Kerri Colby talks trans representation in Texas as rights are challenged |url=https://preview.houstonchronicle.com/movies-tv/q-a-drag-race-queen-kerri-colby-talks-trans-16972034 |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=Preview {{!}} Houston Chronicle |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-09-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908092611/https://preview.houstonchronicle.com/movies-tv/q-a-drag-race-queen-kerri-colby-talks-trans-16972034 |url-status=live }} She was raised in a Pentecostal household.{{Cite web |last=Nolfi |first=Joey |title=Kerri Colby won't be silenced after 'Drag Race' exit |url=https://ew.com/tv/kerri-colby-elimination-interview-rupauls-drag-race-season-14/ |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=EW.com |language=en |archive-date=2022-09-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908084106/https://ew.com/tv/kerri-colby-elimination-interview-rupauls-drag-race-season-14/ |url-status=live }} She stated that she has never fit in with those beliefs, and after watching the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, she learned about drag. She left home at 15, and she has stated the reasoning for leaving is the toxic environment that her family created for her. She couch-surfed, mostly in Dallas's Oak Lawn neighborhood, which is the city's gayborhood,{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLCdhzGnsck |title=Kerri Colby Talks Being A Baddie in STEM {{!}} Monét Talks |date=2024-10-03 |last=Monét X Change |access-date=2024-11-15 |via=YouTube}} and found friends to take care of her after leaving home. She has stated that many of the people taking care of her were much older, and it led to abusive situations.{{Cite web |title=Kerri Colby's Difficult Past and how Cannabis is Helping the HIV+ |url=https://latv.com/kerri-colby-hiv-cannabis |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=LATV |language=en |archive-date=2023-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418111440/https://latv.com/kerri-colby-hiv-cannabis |url-status=live }}
One day when Kerri was resting at a train station, a stranger named Manuel who was of El Salvadorian descent recognized her from her posts on both Instagram and online and offered to help. Kerri told them that unless they helped with her homelessness, they could not help. This person then took Kerri in until she was eighteen. Kerri has stated in an interview, "[My friend was] completely my angel... I would not have made it."{{cite web |date=2022-02-25 |title= Whatcha Packin' S14 E08 Rupaul's Drag Race |url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5psscfvtbdk |website=Youtube |language=en-US }}
She moved to Los Angeles at 18 after someone hit her up on an app, ending up living in West Hollywood, California with a man who flew her to the city.
Career
File:DragCon 2023 @ DVSROSS Photgraphy -105 (crop).jpg in 2023]]
She competed on season 14 of RuPaul's Drag Race. On episode 4, she landed in the bottom and lip-synced against Alyssa Hunter to Jennifer Lopez's song, "Play".{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/rupauls-drag-race-recap-season-14-episode-4-shes-a-super-tease.html|title=RuPaul's Drag Race Recap: All Tease, All Shade|first=Paul|last=McCallion|date=January 28, 2022|website=Vulture|access-date=April 15, 2022|archive-date=April 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422122615/https://www.vulture.com/article/rupauls-drag-race-recap-season-14-episode-4-shes-a-super-tease.html|url-status=live}} On episode 8, she landed in the bottom again with Jasmine Kennedie, and lost the lip-sync to "Un-Break My Heart" by Toni Braxton.{{cite web|url=https://xtramagazine.com/culture/rupauls-drag-race-season-14-episode-8-recap-218782|title='RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 14, Episode 8 recap: There goes my baby|date=28 February 2022 |access-date=2022-04-15|archive-date=2022-04-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415181555/https://xtramagazine.com/culture/rupauls-drag-race-season-14-episode-8-recap-218782|url-status=live}}
She was a featured performer during Jennifer Lopez's performance at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards.{{cite web |date=March 23, 2022 |title=Drag Race Queens Paid Tribute To Jennifer Lopez At Her iHeartRadio Music Awards Performance |url=https://www.out.com/music/2022/3/23/jennifer-lopez-iheartradio-music-awards-performance-rupauls-drag-race-queens-runway-billy-porter |access-date=March 23, 2022 |first=Raffy |last=Ermac |website=Out.com |language=en |archive-date=April 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425044722/https://www.out.com/music/2022/3/23/jennifer-lopez-iheartradio-music-awards-performance-rupauls-drag-race-queens-runway-billy-porter |url-status=live }} In May, her nomination was announced at the 2022 WOWIE Awards as part of RuPaul's DragCon in Los Angeles in the category Best Viral Moment (The America's Next Top Meme Award), shared with drag queens Daya Betty and Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté.{{cite web|url=https://worldofwonder.net/world-of-wonders-2022-wowie-awards-at-dragcon-cast-your-votes-now/|title=World of Wonder's 2022 WOWIE Awards at DragCon: Cast Your Votes Now!|first=Nikki|last=Nguyen|website=World of Wonder|date=2 May 2022|access-date=May 7, 2022|archive-date=2 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502220931/https://worldofwonder.net/world-of-wonders-2022-wowie-awards-at-dragcon-cast-your-votes-now/|url-status=live}}
In 2022, Colby appeared in an advertising campaign for cannabis beverage brand Cann, alongside fellow season 14 contestants Willow Pill, Jorgeous, and Kornbread, as well as other LGBTQ+ celebrities including Hayley Kiyoko and Gus Kenworthy.{{Cite web |last=Yoshiko |first=Lauren |date=23 June 2022 |title=Cann's New Pride Campaign Signals Cannabis Cultural Progress |url=https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/cann-music-video-cannabis-pride-campaign |access-date=7 September 2022 |website=Thrillist |archive-date=8 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908084105/https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/cann-music-video-cannabis-pride-campaign |url-status=live }} During press for the Cann campaign, Colby shared that she worked at a dispensary before appearing on Drag Race.{{Cite web |last=Hasse |first=Javier |title=RuPaul Drag Icons Kerri Colby, Jorgeous, Willow Pill Talk Weed, LGBTQIA+ Community: 'It's Hard Being Fabulous… Smoking Helps Keep Anxiety Down' |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2022/06/19/rupaul-drag-icons-kerri-colby-jorgeous-willow-pill-talk-weed-lgbtqia-community-its-hard-being-fabulous-smoking-helps-keep-anxiety-down/ |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=2022-09-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908084103/https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2022/06/19/rupaul-drag-icons-kerri-colby-jorgeous-willow-pill-talk-weed-lgbtqia-community-its-hard-being-fabulous-smoking-helps-keep-anxiety-down/ |url-status=live }}
In 2023, she appeared in a cameo during season 15 Untucked episode to give a video message to her drag mother and season 15 winner Sasha Colby.{{Cite web |last=Gregory |first=Drew Burnett |date=2023-03-25 |title="RuPaul's Drag Race" Episode 1513 Recap: Class In Session |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/rupauls-drag-race-season-15-episode-13-recap/ |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=Autostraddle |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418111935/https://www.autostraddle.com/rupauls-drag-race-season-15-episode-13-recap/ |url-status=live }}
On April 23, 2025, Kerri Colby was announced as one of eighteen former Drag Race contestants participating in the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
Personal life
Kerri Colby is a trans woman. Fellow Drag Race contestant and trans woman Kornbread Jeté credits Kerri Colby with helping her in her own transition.{{cite web |date=2022-01-14 |title=Kerri Colby Was One of the First People Kornbread Came Out To |url=https://www.out.com/television/2022/1/14/kornbread-first-came-out-to-kerri-colby-rupauls-drag-race-season-14-trans-contestants |access-date=2022-02-02 |website=www.out.com |language=en |archive-date=2022-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202215530/https://www.out.com/television/2022/1/14/kornbread-first-came-out-to-kerri-colby-rupauls-drag-race-season-14-trans-contestants |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=2022-01-16 |title=Kornbread says Kerri Colby was "one of the first" people she came out to as trans |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/drag/kornbread-says-kerri-colby-was-one-of-the-first-people-she-came-out-to-as-trans/ |access-date=2022-02-02 |website=GAY TIMES |language=en-GB |archive-date=2022-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202215530/https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/drag/kornbread-says-kerri-colby-was-one-of-the-first-people-she-came-out-to-as-trans/ |url-status=live }} She has also helped inspire Jasmine Kennedie to come out as a trans woman on an episode of Untucked on season 14 of RuPaul's Drag Race. Bosco has also cited Kerri Colby as a source of "clarity" in her transition, which she announced after season 14 wrapped filming.{{Cite web |last1=February 17 |first1=Joey Nolfi |last2=EST |first2=2022 at 01:00 PM |title=Bosco says Kerri Colby and Kornbread gave her 'clarity' on trans journey |url=https://ew.com/tv/rupauls-drag-race-bosco-trans-interview/ |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=EW.com |language=en |archive-date=2022-09-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908081438/https://ew.com/tv/rupauls-drag-race-bosco-trans-interview/ |url-status=live }}
Filmography
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
| Year
! Title ! Genre ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2022
| RuPaul's Drag Race (season 14) | TV | Contestant | 9th place (11 episodes, including Queen Ruveal special) |
| rowspan="2"|2022-2023
| rowspan="2"|RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | rowspan="2"|TV | rowspan="2"|Herself | Season 13, 7 episodes |
| Cameo (Season 14, 1 episode) |
| 2022
| Web series | Herself | Guest (Season 15, episode 6: Kerri Colby) |
| 2022
|MTV Movie & TV Awards Red Carpet |Web show |Herself |Co-host |
| 2023
|Kerri Kares |TV |Herself |Host (8 episodes) |
| 2023
|Photo Fashion RuView |Web series |Herself |Co-host (12 episodes) |
| 2023
| Look at Huh | Web series | Herself | Guest (Season 1, episode 7) |
| 2023
| Web series | Herself | Guest (Season 2, episode 1: Season 14) |
| 2024
| Web series | Herself (Voice only) | Cameo (Season 10, episode 2: Mirage) |
| 2024
| TV | Herself | Main cast Joey Nolfi, [https://ew.com/slaycation-cast-rupauls-drag-race-queens-8659117 "See the 6 returning Drag Race queens set to be dropped into the wilderness on new Slaycation series"]. Entertainment Weekly, June 6, 2024. |
| 2025
|RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 10) |Herself (contestant) |Contestant - TBA |
Awards and nominations
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| Year
! Award ! Category ! Work ! Result ! {{Refh}} |
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| 2022
| Critics' Choice Real TV Awards | Best Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series | {{won}} | style="text-align:center"|{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2022/06/critics-choice-real-tv-awards-winners-rupauls-drag-race-top-chef-2022-1235043990/|title='RuPaul's Drag Race' & 'Top Chef' Lead Critics Choice Real TV Awards|author=Erik Pedersen|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=June 12, 2022|access-date=June 14, 2022|archive-date=June 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613080411/https://deadline.com/2022/06/critics-choice-real-tv-awards-winners-rupauls-drag-race-top-chef-2022-1235043990/|url-status=live}} |
| 2023
| Herself | {{nominated}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline|Kerri Colby}}
{{RuPaul's Drag Race}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colby, Kerri}}
Category:20th-century American LGBTQ people
Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people
Category:African-American drag queens
Category:American transgender women
Category:Drag performers from Dallas
Category:Drag performers from Los Angeles
Category:LGBTQ people from Texas