Bianca Castro-Arabejo

Bianca Castro-Arabejo (November 29, 1980 – April 27, 2025), known professionally as Jiggly Caliente, was a Filipino-American transgender drag performer and entertainer. She rose to prominence competing on the fourth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' (2012), followed by her debut studio album ''T.H.O.T. Process'' (2018), and a recurring role as Veronica Ferocity in the American drama television series ''Pose'' (2018–2021). After competing in the sixth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'' (2021), she became a judge on ''Drag Race Philippines'' (2022–2024).

Early life and education

Caliente was born Bianca Castro-Arabejo in San Pedro, Laguna, in the Philippines on November 29, 1980. During the first grade, she was bullied and body-shamed by a fellow student, and was expelled for stabbing the student's hand with a pencil. Caliente later immigrated to the United States in 1991 alongside her mother and brother. She was raised in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens, New York. In her junior year of high school she came out to her mother.

As a young child, Caliente wanted to become a veterinarian, but later was more interested in being a cartoonist and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) majoring in illustration. She soon realized, that "comic books were kind of like a dying art form" and stopped attending.

Career and ''Drag Race''

Caliente first created her drag persona in 2004 or 2005 on a dare after she came to support a friend who was competing in a drag competition. She named herself after the ''Pokémon'' character Jigglypuff and added the Spanish word '' caliente'' meaning hot. Jiggly Caliente once worked at the Web, a gay Asian nightclub in New York City known for its sexual services, and stated, "I just don't think anyone should be ashamed for it." She soon began competing in beauty pageants and was crowned as Ms. Asia America 2006, Ms. Mexico New York 2008, and Ms. Universo Latina Plus 2009.

Caliente was announced as one of thirteen contestants of the fourth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' on November 13, 2011. She placed eighth overall, being eliminated in a lip-sync contest by Willam. Jiggly Caliente appeared in archive footage in the finale of the fifth season and made an appearance in the finale of the sixth season, where she asked a viewer question to contestant Bianca Del Rio.

Outside of ''Drag Race'', Caliente was seen in the beginning of the 2012 NewNowNext awards. Her acting career began in 2015 when she played a role in the season-two finale of ''Broad City'' as a shop owner. She was one of thirty drag queens featured in Miley Cyrus's 2015 VMA performance. In 2016, she was in the pilot episode of ''Search Party''. In 2017, she made a cameo appearance with fellow ''Drag Race'' contestants Bob The Drag Queen, Katya, and Detox in an episode of ''Playing House''. She made an appearance as a backup singer in the music video for Bob The Drag Queen and Alaska's "Yet Another Dig". She played the character Veronica in ''Pose'', appearing in the sixth and eighth episodes of the first season. She later confirmed she would be back for more episodes of the show's second season.

In September 2018, Caliente performed as a background dancer for Christina Aguilera at Opening Ceremony's Spring 2019 runway show alongside other ''Drag Race'' contestants. In November 2018, she made an appearance on ''Saturday Night Live'' with ''Drag Race'' contestant Peppermint, as a Drag Queen for the ''Garmin'' GP-Yasss sketch. In 2020, Jiggly Caliente co-hosted ''Translation'', the first talk show on a major network hosted by an all-trans cast. On May 26, 2021, she was announced to be one of the 13 contestants returning for the sixth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars''. She was eliminated in the second episode, placing twelfth overall. She was a main judge for the first, second, and third seasons of ''Drag Race Philippines'', which premiered in 2022.

Music

Jiggly Caliente released her first single, "Fckboi" on March 1, 2018, on her official Vevo channel. She released her debut album, ''T.H.O.T. Process'' on March 9, 2018. The twelve-track album features ''Drag Race'' contestants Sharon Needles, Peppermint, Alaska, Ginger Minj, Phi Phi O'Hara (credited as Jaremi Carey) and Manila Luzon. It also features an intro with RuPaul. The album is the first hip-hop-based record by a ''Drag Race'' contestant. The music video for the song "All This Body" premiered on November 30, 2018, and featured Alaska, Ginger Minj, and Isis King.

Jiggly Caliente also was a featured artist for the first three volumes of the ''Drag Race'' Christmas Queens albums. The music video for "Ratchet Christmas" from the first volume was uploaded on December 9, 2015. She contributed to the compilation album '' Christmas Queens 3'' (2017).

Personal life

Caliente publicly came out as transgender in 2016. She shared her transgender identity for the first time on a podcast, stating that receiving letters from fans who were struggling with their own gender identity helped her to realize she was a trans woman. Two months later, she wrote on Instagram that "our trans brothers and sisters are very much part of our struggle for equality" and publicly encouraged drag race fans to engage in advocacy for trans rights.

Illness and death

On April 24, 2025, Caliente's family revealed in a statement that her right leg had been surgically amputated due to a severe infection. She died in hospital three days later, at age 44. Caliente's family announced that a livestreamed funeral would take place in New York City sometime in May, and that there would be a special moment set aside for fans to visit and pay respects.

Fellow ''Drag Race'' alumni including Jinkx Monsoon, Bob the Drag Queen, Heidi N Closet, Ginger Minj, Detox, Jujubee, Kennedy Davenport, Kandy Muse, Kameron Michaels, Nicky Doll, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Jaremi Carey and others posted tributes to Caliente on social media. ''Drag Race'' judge Michelle Visage stated that Caliente's "laughter was endless ..this world has lost an angel", and Pose co-star Michaela Jaé Rodriguez wrote on Instagram that she was going to miss Caliente forever.

Some drag artists and social commentators received widespread criticism for how they reacted to the news of her passing. Former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies attacked the BBC for publishing Caliente's obituary on the grounds that the network publishes "endless drag stories", which resulted in the Green Party deputy leader Zack Polanski publicly criticizing Davies's comments as "disgusting". Similarly, Tyra Sanchez, the winner of the second season of ''Drag Race'', was widely criticized after she replied to an ode to Caliente posted by Jaremi Carey with a meme that mocked Caliente for losing her leg prior to her death. Friends and family of Caliente condemned Sanchez's statements, and some commentators made connections to how Sanchez had also made similarly controversial remarks about The Vivienne following her sudden passing months prior in January 2025.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Web series

See also

* Filipinos in the New York metropolitan area
* LGBTQ culture in New York City
* List of LGBTQ people from New York City
* Transgender representation in the ''Drag Race'' franchise

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jiggly Caliente
1980 births
2025 deaths
20th-century American LGBTQ people
21st-century American LGBTQ people
Actresses from Laguna (province)
American drag queens of Asian descent
American drag queens
American transgender musicians
American transgender actresses
American LGBTQ people of Asian descent
American LGBTQ singers
Deaths from sepsis
Drag performers from New York City
Filipino drag queens
Filipino emigrants to the United States
Filipino LGBTQ singers
Filipino transgender actresses
LGBTQ media personalities
People from San Pedro, Laguna
RuPaul's Drag Race contestants
Transgender drag performers
Transgender women singers
American amputees
Filipino amputees