Bianca Castro-Arabejo, known worldwide under the drag moniker Jiggly Caliente, who competed on and judged various iterations of RuPaul’s Drag Race, has died. Per The Independent, Casto-Abrejo died days after doctors amputated her right leg due to a “severe infection.” She was 44.
“A luminous presence in the worlds of entertainment and advocacy, Jiggly Caliente was celebrated for her infectious energy, fierce wit, and unwavering authenticity,” a statement from her family reads. “She touched countless lives through her artistry, activism, and the genuine connection she fostered with fans around the world.”
“Her legacy is one of love, courage, and light. Though her physical presence is gone, the joy she shared and the space she helped create for so many will remain forever. She will be deeply missed, always loved, and eternally remembered.”
On November 29, 1980, Castro-Arabejo was born in San Pedro, Laguna, in the Philippines, where she lived most of her childhood. At age 10, her mother left their father and moved her and her brother to Sunnyside, Queens. She came out as gay to her family when she was a junior in high school, but the news was not met with immediate acceptance.
“It was awkward for my family, mainly my mom,” she said in a 2014 interview. “She just thought she raised this straight boy. Come my junior year, I came out and just told her, boom, I’m gay! Then, four years later, ‘Mommy, I’m a drag queen!’ She just didn’t get it. She said boys are supposed to look like boys. I just told her, ‘Mommy, I’m different,’ and this is something I love. It took a while, and I mean a while, for her to be cool with it and accept it. When she did, she became the biggest Jiggler ever! She would watch my YouTube videos and DVDs of my pageants. She was so proud of every accomplishment I have ever done, including drag stuff.”
After adopting the drag persona Jiggly Caliente based on her favorite Pokémon Jigglypuff, Castro-Arabejo strutted onto cable television in 2012 on the fourth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Referred to as “New York’s plus-size Barbie,” Caliente offered up a magnetic brashness and intensity to her humor, dancing, and behind-the-scenes altercations, which made her a fan favorite and a mainstay in the Drag Race universe. Caliente returned for RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season six, the Drag Race reunion series, Bring Back My Girls, and, most recently, to host Drag Race Philippines.
Drag Race opened other doors for Castro-Arabejo, who leveraged her success on the runway to roles and appearances on Search Party, Saturday Night Live, Playing House, and Broad City. From 2018 through 2021, she was a regular on Pose, playing Veronica Ferocity. She released her first album, T.H.O.T. Process, in 2018.
Castro-Arabejo, who came out as trans in 2016, hosted the roundtable talk show Translation, the first talk show hosted by transgender women, alongside Drag Race contenders Peppermint, Kylie Sonique Love, and Carmen Carrera. She continued breaking new ground as the host of Drag Race Philippines, becoming one of the series’ first trans women judges.
