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RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Special Event

Source: Santiago Felipe / Getty

One of the shows that has brought me much comfort during the quarantine and during the resistance has been Rupaul’s Drag Race.

The 12th season of the drag queen reality show has been my Friday essential winedown and my favorite contestant has been none other than Jaida Essence Hall!

Milwaukee native, Jared Johnson, is the perfect blend of country Midwestern tendencies and diva glam lewks when he is on the drag queen stage. Sis, is GORGEOUS, her waist is snatched and that face is beat. Not to mention, she is hilarious!

Oh, and last Friday, she won the season!

You love to see it!

Every week, I cried with laughter watching her in these challenges, especially the presidential debate skit. That “look over there!” killed me every time:

Then there was the episode where Whoopi Goldberg was a judge, where we saw Jared show his softer side:

“I don’t want to get emotional, but, when Ru told us you would be here, it was miraculous because, preparing to come here, I constantly would listen to The Color Purple soundtrack,” a tearful Jaida told Goldberg, talking about the iconic 1985 film Goldberg was in and was nominated for an Oscar.

“This competition is almost exactly like the journey of Celie in the movie. You go through all of these really hard times, but, on the other side of it, there’s so much joy. So, it’s like a sign to me that you would be here today.”

Baby, that later hug was real.

“For Whoopi to make that kind of connection with me is everything right now,” Jaida says later in confessional. “I feel like it’s a huge sign that maybe something good is going to happen, or maybe that’s a sign I’m going home. I don’t know!”

Take a look:

You gotta love that vulnerability.

Here he is, showing us the face and the alter ego for Cosmo:

 

Congrats Jaida! We love you!

So to celebrate her, here are some of her best lewks ever!

1. And The Winner Is…

2. Stunning!

3. The Color Purple

4. Lady In Red

5. Lady Liberty

6. Why Don’t You Love You Me?

7. Black Bride

8. Lavender Updo

9. Imitation Is The Best Flattery

10. SAVAGE!

11. A Storm Is Coming

12. Fierce & Fly

13. Alter Egos

14. Rub A Dub Dub

15. Face, Face, Face

16. Dynamic Duo

17. Plastic Fantasy

18. Punk Rock Princess

19. Cheers B***h

20. MONEY, HONEY!

21. I Got Your Grinch!

22. Before & After

For 2024’s iteration of MadameNoire and HelloBeautiful’s annual series Women to Know, we knew we wanted to celebrate the people who help make the joys of film and television possible. To create art is to create magic. This year, we spotlight Hollywood Executive’s changing the face of cinema.