Chad Michael Storbeck, known professionally as Chad Michaels (born March 20, 1971), is an American

drag Drag or The Drag may refer to: Places * Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway * ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania * Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street adj ...

performer and professional

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industr ...

impersonator. He was the runner-up of the fourth season of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the f ...

'', alongside

Phi Phi O'Hara Jaremi Lee Carey (born Jeremy Lee Carey; October 10, 1985) is an American actor, streamer, singer, cosplay artist, and former drag performer who performed under the name Phi Phi O'Hara. In the O'Hara persona, Carey came to international attention ...

, and the winner of the first season of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars ''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'' is an American reality competition spin off edition of the original ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which is produced by World of Wonder, for Logo TV and later VH1. The show premiered on October 22, 2012, on Logo TV, be ...

''. In 2013, he released "Tragic Girl", his debut single and music video.

Early life

Michaels was born Chad Michael Storbeck to former high school football player Jerry Michael Storbeck of

Aurelia, Iowa Aurelia is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 968 at the 2020 census. History Aurelia was founded in 1873 as a stop along the Illinois Central Railroad branch connecting Sioux City, Iowa, to Chicago, Illinois. Thi ...

and salon worker Linda Storbeck Olson of

Encinitas, California Encinitas (Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about south of ...

at Arcadia Methodist Hospital in

Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of ...

on March 20, 1971. His parents graduated from Pasadena High School and

Aurelia High School Aurelia High School was the senior high school of Aurelia Community School. It is located in Aurelia, Iowa, a town in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. Following the 2011-12 school year, Aurelia was one of the smallest schools in the state, ...

, respectively, and wed in 1968. They resided in

Olivenhain, Encinitas, California Olivenhain is a neighborhood in the city of Encinitas, California, located in the North County area of San Diego County. It is the easternmost community of Encinitas, bordering the western portion of Rancho Santa Fe. The community of Olivenhai ...

at the time of his birth before they moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

, and then again to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, where he was raised.Michaels in He originally went by the drag name "Brigitte Love." Michaels chose to perform under his own name after working at "An Evening at La Cage" in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

, which required the drag queens to use male stage names.

Career

''RuPaul's Drag Race''

In 2010, Michaels competed in the first California Entertainer of the Year pageant, becoming first alternate to winner

Shangela Chantize Darius Jeremy Pierce, better known as Shangela Laquifa Wadley or mononymously as Shangela (born November 22, 1980), is an American drag queen, reality television personality and actor best known for competing on ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. S ...

. In 2011, Chad was announced as one of the 13 queens competing on the fourth season of ''

'' in 2012. Throughout the series, Chad won two challenges, including "WTF!: Wrestling's Trashiest Fighters" as well as the annual "

Snatch Game Snatch Game is a challenge on the ''Drag Race'' reality competition television franchise. Beginning with the second season of the original American series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', the challenge has taken place on every season since. It has also o ...

" (a parody of the

Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity panelis ...

) where he impersonated

. His performance as

received high praises from the judges. He made it to the final three, losing to

Sharon Needles Sharon Needles (born November 28, 1981) is the stage name of Aaron R. Coady, an American drag performer and recording artist. A self-described "stupid genius, reviled sweetheart, and PBR princess", Needles rose to international attention on the ...

. After his run on ''Drag Race'', Chad continued to perform as Cher.

''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars''

In the same year, Chad was announced as a contestant on the first series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars''. During the series, he teamed up with

Season 1 Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambigua ...

contestant

Shannel Bryan Watkins, known by his stage name Shannel (born July 3, 1979), is an American drag queen and television personality, best known for competing on the first season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and later the first season of '' RuPaul's Drag Race ...

. Chad won three challenges, including the make-over challenge, and ultimately won the competition, beating

Season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * '' 2econd Season'' See also

* {{disambig ...

runner-up

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned ...

in a final lipsync. This secured his spot in the ''Drag Race'' Hall of Fame. Michaels produces and performs with the Dreamgirls Revue, a female impersonation show in California. Performers in the Dreamgirls Revue have included ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' contestants

Delta Work Delta Work is the stage name of Gabriel A. Villarreal, a Mexican-American drag performer and stylist, best known for competing on the third season of the reality competition television series ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Villarreal received the Pr ...

, Detox,

Morgan McMichaels Morgan McMichaels (born May 28, 1981) is the stage name of Scottish-American drag performer Thomas White, best known as a contestant on the second season of the reality television competition ''RuPaul's Drag Race,'' as well as the third seaso ...

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in history of South Asia, South Asia and History of ...

, and Venus D-Lite. Morgan McMichaels is Michaels' drag daughter. Michaels started touring with

Farrah Moan Cameron Clayton, better known by the stage name Farrah Moan, (born September 11, 1993), is an American drag queen, model, actor, make-up artist and internet personality best known for participating in the ninth season of the reality TV show ''RuP ...

in 2019 for the

Burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

tour, based on the Cher and

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice o ...

movie.

Discography

Singles

Filmography

Film

Television

Music Videos

Web series

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Michaels, Chad 1971 births Living people American drag queens People from Los Angeles People from San Diego Chad Michaels