Jiggly Caliente, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' contestant, dead at 44
The reality TV personality, whose real name was Bianca Castro-Arabejo, died on Sunday and was 'surrounded by her loving family and close friends,' according to her family's statement, which was posted to her verified Instagram page.
'A luminous presence in the worlds of entertainment and advocacy, Jiggly Caliente was celebrated for her infectious energy, fierce wit, and unwavering authenticity,' the statement read. 'She touched countless lives through her artistry, activism and the genuine connection she fostered with fans around the world.'
A cause of death has not yet been confirmed, but her family said in a statement days before her death that Castro-Arabejo had 'experienced a serious health setback' and had her right leg amputated due to a 'severe infection.'
Her recovery was expected to be extensive, the statement, posted to her Instagram, said.
CNN has reached out to a representative for Castro-Arabejo and a member of her family for additional comment.
Castro-Arabejo was best known for competing on Season 4 of 'Drag Race' in 2012. Though eliminated at the time, she later returned to appear in the 2021 'All Stars' season.
'We are devastated by the passing of Jiggly Caliente, a cherished member of the Drag Race family,' a statement posted to the official 'Drag Race' Instagram read. 'Her talent, truth, and impact will never be forgotten, and her legacy will continue to slay—always. We're holding her family, friends, and fans close in our hearts during this difficult time.'
In 2022, Castro-Arabejo became a judge on 'RuPaul's Drag Race Philippines,' serving in that position until 2024. Castro-Arabejo was unable to appear as a judge on the upcoming season of the series because of her health troubles, according to her family.
With her sights set on acting after discovering reality TV fame, Castro-Arabejo auditioned for Ryan Murphy's FX series 'Pose,' eventually scoring a recurring guest star role.
'There's a stigma with reality TV personalities who want to be actors, and that's why, when I auditioned for Pose, I didn't audition as Jiggly Caliente, I auditioned as Bianca,' she told Entertainment Weekly in a 2021 interview. 'I didn't want people to box me in as a reality star. I wanted people to give me a fair shot.'
In 2016, Castro-Arabejo came out as trans on the Grizzly Kiki podcast and later said she hoped to inspire the queer community in the Philippines.
'I never saw anyone like me growing up,' said in a 2024 interview. 'To be one of the first trans-Filipinas cast on a Ryan Murphy show, despite the fact that I barely had any lines, it was an important milestone for representation.'
Castro-Arabejo was proud of her Filipino heritage, telling Billboard in a 2018 interview that 'my culture is very very important to me.'
'I was living here in America when my mom told me to remember who I was. She really wanted me to remember where I come from,' she told the publication. 'There's a whole lot of beautiful Filipinos out there, but I wanted to show them that the language is also cute, and I love it!'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Buzz Feed
a few seconds ago
- Buzz Feed
Matt Rife Is The Guardian Of The Annabelle Doll
Annabelle has a new babysitter! Comedian Matt Rife just announced that he and YouTuber Elton Castee purchased the home of Ed and Lorraine Warren. According to his video, Matt said he is now "the legal guardian for at least the next 5 years" of the Warrens' "haunted collection," which includes the seemingly haunted Annabelle doll. Ed and Lorraine were paranormal investigators depicted in the Conjuring franchise by actors Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. The pair founded the Warren Occult Museum where they housed the allegedly haunted artifacts from their investigations. "We do not legally own the items, but we are the legal guardians and caretakers of the items," Matt said, adding that fans will have a chance to "book a night or weekend" in the Warrens' former home, as an Airbnb. Why on earth anybody in their right mind would want to do that is beyond me. "If you know me, you know I'm obsessed with the paranormal and all things haunted. You also may know The Conjuring films are my favorite scary movies of all time. So I'm incredibly honored to have taken over one of the most prominent properties in paranormal history," Matt wrote in a caption alongside several Instagram photos of Ed and Lorraine. "Ed and Lorain[sic] Warren arguably put demonology and paranormal into the mainstream and are the very heart of some of the most famous haunted stories of all time, The Conjuring House, Amityville Horror, et…" Annabelle, which was actually a Raggedy Ann doll, was allegedly moving on its own, according to a student nurse in the '70s. The dramatization with Patrick and Vera led to sequels and other movies about the Warrens and their haunted artifacts. In addition to the overnight stays, Matt and Elton plan to open the house for museum tours to learn of the "haunted history" surrounding the area. According to Tony Spera, the son-in-law of Warrens' said that he and his wife still own the doll and the Warrens' other alleged haunted artifacts but are leasing them to Matt and Elton. While the quirky comedian is obviously stoked to take on this project, his fans are rightfully creeped out given the history of the horrors within that house. One person wrote, "DONT TOUCH ANYTHING!! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DONT TOUCH ANYTHING!!" "RIP buddy. It's been nice knowing ya," another person wrote. "If you disappear randomly we know why," someone else said. Of course, people couldn't help but find the humor in all this. Somebody said, "Would be very funny if he was very clearly actually possessed during his next special. Doing crowd work like 'Does anyone else here love being an evil doll?'" Republican personality Kimberly Klacik randomly said, "He's too hot to risk his life like this. These are ugly people activities." If you've seen Longlegs than you'll get this joke: Other folks expressed concern that this might not be good for the Warrens' legacy and criticized Matt and Elton's involvement. "This makes me so sad for the doll like no way does she want this," one person wrote. Another person said, "Please honor them and don't turn everthign they've built into a joke." "I hope that people who book stays are respectful to the space." And finally, on a good note, someone said, "Congrats on the purchase. I know you guys are gonna resepct all the items that are in there." What are your thoughts about Matt Rife becoming the caretaker of Annabelle and the house of creepy artifacts? Sound off in the comments.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
LISTEN: How Noah Hawley and FX Brought ‘Alien: Earth' to Life; Kevin Feige Gets Candid as Comic Con Approaches
About eight years ago, multihyphenate Noah Hawley wrote a five-page pitch for FX on what he would do with the 'Alien' franchise if he ever got the chance to work in the world established in 1979 by Ridley Scott's seminal film. Next month, FX will unveil its wildly ambitious, first-ever TV series take on the sci-fi franchise that has spawned eight other films across the past five decades. On the latest episode of the 'Daily Variety' podcast, Daniel D'Addario, Variety's chief correspondent, offers insights into his inside look at the making of 'Alien: Earth' that is featured as 's July 23 cover story. More from Variety 'Alien: Earth' Is Wildly Ambitious, Expensive and Stars a Talented Actor Who Refuses to Play by Hollywood's Rules. Inside FX's Risky Bet for a New Blockbuster Series Neon's 'Next Wave of Horror' Comic-Con Panel to Feature 'Together' Stars Alison Brie and Dave Franco, Osgood Perkins, Tatiana Maslany and More (EXCLUSIVE) Scott Free Eyes Further Series Adaptations of Ridley Scott and Tony Scott Movies Following 'Alien: Earth' and 'Blade Runner 2099' D'Addario reports that all of the major components of Hawley's eight-year-old outline made it into the final series, which drops on FX and Hulu Aug. 12. That's a testament to the strength of the writer-producer's vision for adapting 'Alien' as a TV series for the present day. D'Addario notes that Hawley is a famously prolific 'idea machine' who has the trust of FX leadership. That's important given all that FX has riding on 'Alien: Earth,' which has topped the budget of FX's previous most expensive series. 'He's a novelist. He's written and directed feature films, and he just has the ability to work through this IP world without having it feel like a crass brand extension. It's 'Alien,' but it is fundamentally a Noah Hawley show as well,' D'Addario says. Also featured in today's episode is a conversation with Adam B. Vary, Variety's senior entertainment writer, about what to expect from San Diego Comic Con, which begins on July 24 and is always a mile-marker for studios and networks. Vary also discusses his recent sit down with Marvel chief Kevin Feige, who delivered a candid assessment of the studio's recent struggles. Feige cited a startling statistic that illustrated how Marvel simply became overextended in recent years as it ramped up production to feed series and movies to Disney+, which has been an enormous priority for parent company Disney. From 2008 to 2019, Marvel produced about 50 total hours worth of film and TV content. In the last six years, Marvel has produced more than 120 hours. 'That massive increase in volume really diluted the brand, diluted their quality. At one point he said, for the first time, quantity trumped quality.' And, that's a pretty blunt assessment for what went wrong,' Vary says. As for Comic Con, Vary predicts it will be less of a launchpad than in the past as Marvel is not hosting its usual state-of-the-industry presentation (hence Feige's charm offensive with journalists), nor does DC Studios have a big presence this year. 'It's generally going to be a little bit of a quieter Comic Con,' Vary says. Daily Variety Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples Solve the daily Crossword
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Singer Jessie J hospitalized with an infection: 'Finding it hard to breathe in'
Jessie J is facing another health challenge. The 37-year-old singer, who underwent surgery for breast cancer six weeks ago, was hospitalized with an infection, she shared in a series of Instagram stories on Sunday, Aug. 3. Jessie J, whose real name is Jessica Cornish, said she has "a little fluid on my lungs," and although doctors "ran a lot of tests," she is "still trying to figure out" what kind of infection she has. Her symptoms pointed towards a blood clot on her lung, but this was determined to not be the case. "Finding it hard to breathe in, but I discharged myself last night (I hate being in hospital) and will continue the investigation as an outpatient," she added. The Instagram stories included a photo from what appeared to be a hospital bed showing Jessie J's arm with an IV in it. "How I spent the last 24 hours," she wrote on the picture. Jessie J shares positive update after breast cancer surgery The update comes after Jessie J announced in June that she had been diagnosed with "early" breast cancer. At the time, she told fans she had been in and out of tests, and she later underwent surgery. In July, the "No Secrets" singer announced she had received results indicating the cancer had not spread, though she said she still had "lots of healing to go" and needed to undergo another surgery. Jessie J reveals breast cancer diagnosis In her latest Instagram stories, Jessie J said her recovery has been "far from quick or easy, and mentally it's been the most challenging time for me." She also described her hospitalization as a reminder from her body that she needs to slow down. "This isn't a speedy recovery," she reflected. "And it isn't meant to be. ... That slow pace has been a hard reality to accept tbh. I love moving and working and being up and active but I can't be right now, and that's what it is." Later on Aug. 3, the Grammy nominee shared a playful update, joking that she "finally got a diagnosis" for what was wrong with her, and "apparently it's called ... dramatic?" She added, "My symptoms are the same and no idea what's wrong yet. But my sarcasm and sense of humor are holding on."
