James Insell (born November 10, 1982), better known by the stage name Jimbo, is a Canadian designer and drag queen who competed in the first season of Canada's Drag Race (2020),[2] was in the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World (2022),[3] and won the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (2023).[4]
Jimbo | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Jimbo at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2023 | |
| Born | James Insell November 10, 1982[1][non-primary source needed] London, Ontario, Canada |
| Education | University of Western Ontario (BS) |
| Occupation(s) | Drag queen, designer |
| Years active | 2000s–present |
| Known for | Canada's Drag Race (season 1) RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World (series 1) RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 8) |
| Predecessor | Jinkx Monsoon |
| Successor | Angeria Paris VanMicheals |
| Website | houseofjimbo |
Early life and education
editFrom London, Ontario, Insell, his brother Jeff, as well as sisters Samantha and Jennifer,[5] were born to Mary Insell[6] and James Peter Insell (1947–2018),[5] both boys being interested in creative pursuits from childhood, including early drag play.[7] His father received his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Western Ontario in 1983.[8] Respecting his father's wishes that he pursue a career-oriented education, he studied biology at the University of Western Ontario; following graduation, however, he opted not to pursue employment in the field and instead moved to Victoria, British Columbia, where he began working as a costume and production designer.[7] He is married to Brady Taylor.[9]
Career
editInsell has worked predominantly in local theatre, including productions of James and the Giant Peach[10] The Rocky Horror Show,[11] and Ride the Cyclone but has also had credits on a number of television films produced by Front Street Pictures for the Hallmark Channel,[7] and on the children's television series Pup Academy. He appeared in the music video for Victoria musician Adrian Chalifour's single "Open Heart".[12] He also appeared as the drag mother to British Columbian rapper bbno$ for the music video for his song "imma".[13]
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He appeared on the first season of Canada's Drag Race in 2020, emerging as a popular fan favourite[14] and winning the key Snatch Game challenge for his performance as Joan Rivers,[15] but was eliminated from the competition in fourth place behind finalists Priyanka, Scarlett BoBo and Rita Baga.[16] For Fierté Montréal's special online edition of its annual Drag Superstars show, which featured all of the Canada's Drag Race queens in prerecorded video performances, Jimbo performed a drag recreation of The Buggles' 1979 hit "Video Killed the Radio Star".[citation needed]
Following Canada's Drag Race he toured the United Kingdom as part of the Klub Kids show with Rock M Sakura and Erika Klash,[17] and was the only queen from the season not to appear at any dates on the Canada's Drag Race Live at the Drive-In tour;[18] however, he did participate alongside Priyanka, Scarlett Bobo and Rita Baga in an online panel discussion as part of the Just for Laughs festival.[19]
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, he also created a line of face masks through his design studio, with every purchase matched by a donation of a free mask to a homeless or low-income person,[2] and launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of House of Jimbo, a comedy and variety series he hopes to launch in the future.[20] Insell has described House of Jimbo as "the framework of a kids show, but really made for adults", comparable to Pee-wee's Playhouse or The Hilarious House of Frightenstein,[21] and the show reached its Kickstarter goal by the end of October 2020. At the same time the Chemainus-based Riot Brewing Company introduced Jimbo, a boysenberry-flavoured craft beer whose profits will go in part to funding House of Jimbo.[20]
In 2021, he made a return appearance in the second season of Canada's Drag Race, appearing in the third episode as the killer in the slasher film-themed acting challenge "Screech".[22] He returned in the third season of Canada's Drag Race in 2022, appearing as a guest judge in the episode "Bitch Stole My Look".[23]
In January 2022, he was announced as one of the nine contestants on the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World.[24] After winning the first two episodes of the season,[3] Jimbo landed in the bottom in the third episode and was eliminated by Pangina Heals, after Pangina Heals won a lipsync against Dutch contestant Janey Jacké to "We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)" by Vengaboys.[25] Jimbo's early elimination was dubbed one of the most "controversial" in the history of the franchise.[26]
Jimbo returned to the Drag Race franchise to compete on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (2023). After winning a record-tying 4 challenges over the course of the season, Jimbo was crowned the winner of the season and earned a cash prize of $200,000 plus $20,000 for the 4 challenges he won, totalling $220,000.[4] After the airing of the season, Jimbo was announced to host her own WOW Presents Plus series, It's my Special Show!, which premiered on August 7, 2023.[27] In November 2023, Jimbo signed with talent agencies WME and Producer Entertainment Group.[28]
In February 2024 Jimbo competed on Family Feud Canada, with a team consisting of his siblings Jeff and Rebecca, and Jimbo's and Jeff's husbands.
Filmography
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Canada's Drag Race (season 1) | Herself | Contestant (4th place) |
| 2021 | Canada's Drag Race (season 2) | Guest; Episode 3 | |
| 2022 | RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World (series 1) | Contestant (7th place) | |
| Canada's Drag Race (season 3) | Guest judge | ||
| 2023 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 8)[4] | Contestant (Winner) | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked | |||
| GMA3: What You Need to Know[29] | Guest | ||
| Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen[30] | Guest | ||
| Good Morning America[31] | Guest | ||
| RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 5) | Special guest | ||
| 2024 | Drag Race Belgium (season 2) | Guest |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "Open Heart" | Adrian Chalifour | [12] |
| 2020 | "imma" | bbno$ | [13] |
| 2021 | "Bitch I'm Busy" | Priyanka | [32] |
| 2022 | "Don't Call Me" | Joseph Shepherd | [33] |
| 2023 | "True Colors" | Kylie Sonique Love | [34] |
Internet series
edit| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Jimbo vs. Peas | Herself | [35] |
| 2022 | Bring Back My Girls | Herself / Guest | [36] |
| 2023 | Meet the Queens | Herself / Stand-alone special | [37] |
| EW News Flash | Herself / Guest | [38] | |
| BuzzFeed Celeb | Herself / Guest | [39] | |
| React to TikTok Trends by Allure | Herself / Guest | [40] | |
| It's My Special Show! | Herself / Host | [27] | |
| The Awardist | Herself / Guest | [41] | |
| 2024 | Drag Me to The Movies | Various | [42][43] |
Discography
editAll credits adapted from Spotify and Apple Music.[44][45]
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Year | Title | Album | Writer(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | "Free & Horny" | Non-album singles | Andrew Taylor, Jimbo Insell | Andrew Taylor |
| "Angel" | ||||
| "Pumpkin Tits" | ||||
| 2023 | "Stitch" |
As featured artist
edit| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | "Not Sorry Aboot It" (with the cast of Canada's Drag Race, season 1) |
Non-album singles |
| 2023 | "Money, Success, Fame, Glamour" (Disco version) (with the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, season 8) | |
| "Joan! The Unauthorized Rusical" (with the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, season 8) |
Joan! The Unauthorized Rusical Album[46] | |
| "Trinity Ruins Christmas" (Trinity the Tuck featuring Jimbo) |
Trinity Ruins Christmas: The Musical | |
| "Good Enough" (Trinity the Tuck featuring Jimbo) |
References
edit- ^ "Post by Jimbo". Instagram. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Mike Devlin, "Victoria's Jimbo seeks drag-queen crown" Archived October 15, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Victoria Times-Colonist, July 2, 2020.
- ^ a b "Exclusive: Jimbo lets rip on her controversial Drag Race UK vs the World exit". GAY TIMES. February 16, 2022. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ a b c Sim, Bernardo (July 21, 2023). "Here's Who Won RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8". Out. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "Obituary of James Peter Insell | Affordable Funeral Options". affordablefuneraloptions.ca.
- ^ @jimbothedragclown (May 14, 2023). "@maryinsell Is the best Momma in the world!! Happy Mother's Day Momma Mare Bear!" – via Instagram.
- ^ a b c Mollie Kaye, "James and his giant peach add sparkle to Victoria" Archived August 28, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Focus on Victoria, September 6, 2019.
- ^ Insell, James (January 1, 1983). "Studies On The Structure And Origin Of The Parasporal Inclusion Of Sporulating Bacilli". Digitized Theses.
- ^ @jimbothedragclown (July 21, 2023). "Look Momma I Did It!!" – via Instagram.
- ^ Adrian Chamberlain, "James and the Giant Peach goes high-tech" Archived July 27, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. Victoria Times-Colonist, November 10, 2016.
- ^ Travis Paterson, "Rocky Horror returns to the stage Wednesday" Archived October 18, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Victoria News, October 13, 2017.
- ^ a b Don Descoteau, "Chalifour bringing Joy to Victoria this weekend" Archived October 21, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Monday Magazine, November 25, 2019.
- ^ a b Bryen Dunn, "Canada's Drag Race – and then there were three!" Archived January 24, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. The Buzz, August 2020.
- ^ Joey Nolfi, "Jimbo ate sandwiches, the runway, and our hearts on Canada's Drag Race" Archived October 30, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Entertainment Weekly, August 27, 2020.
- ^ Kevin Ritchie, "Canada's Drag Race queen Jimbo on hyper-sexualized drag, the judging backlash and eating on the air" Archived September 28, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Now, August 28, 2020.
- ^ Sarah Taher, "After the Sashay: All the world loves a Jimbo" Archived October 8, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Daily Xtra, August 28, 2020.
- ^ Markus Bidaux, "'Canada's Drag Race': Jimbo spills the tea on Judge Jeffrey, Untucked and coming to the UK" Archived October 27, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Attitude, August 28, 2020.
- ^ Tyler Jadah, "Canada's Drag Race is coming to Montreal's drive-in venue this month" Archived October 2, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Daily Hive, September 10, 2020.
- ^ Jenelle Riley, "For Montreal's Just for Laughs, the Show Will Go On(line)" Archived October 13, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Variety, October 2, 2020.
- ^ a b Graham Cox, "Local brewery collaborates on new beer with popular Vancouver Island drag queen, Jimbo" Archived October 14, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. CHEK-DT, October 8, 2020.
- ^ Michael Cook, "Canada's Drag Race Standout Jimbo: 'We Have An Opportunity To Showcase Our Unique Take On Drag & Who We Are'" Archived September 18, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Instinct, September 6, 2020.
- ^ Kevin O'Keeffe, "'Canada's Drag Race' Season 2, Episode 3 recap: Scream, queen" Archived November 6, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Xtra!, October 29, 2021.
- ^ Joey Nolfi, "Brooke Lynn Hytes reunites with Werk Room crush Miss Vanjie on Canada's Drag Race season 3" Archived June 29, 2022, at the Wayback Machine. EW, June 29, 2022.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey (January 17, 2022). "RuPaul's Drag Race UK Versus the World cast adds international all-stars to new competition". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race UK Versus the World spoilers - third queen exit". Digital Spy. February 15, 2022. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- ^ "These Are The 23 Most Controversial Eliminations In 'Drag Race' Herstory". Elite Daily. April 16, 2022. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ a b "Jimbo Presents: It's my Special Show! Coming to WOW Presents Plus August 7th!". July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ Pener, Degen (November 14, 2023). "Drag Star Jimbo Signs With WME and Producer Entertainment Group (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ "Kandy Muse & Jimbo talk finale of 'RuPaul's Drag: Race All Stars'". ABC News. July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ^ "Are These Bravolebrity Dads DILFY? | WWHL". July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "The new queen of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' | GMA". July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ Corey Atad, "'Canada's Drag Race' Winner Priyanka Releasing Debut EP 'Taste Test' Archived July 18, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. ET Canada, July 14, 2021.
- ^ Damshenas, Sam (March 25, 2022). "Drag Race star Jimbo plays a big-breasted Ghostface in Joseph Shepherd's debut music video". Gay Times. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
- ^ "Kylie Sonique Love - True Colors ( Official Video)". May 18, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ White, Brett (October 26, 2021). "'Canada's Drag Race' Alum Jimbo Faces Fear in New WOW Presents Plus Show 'Jimbo vs. Peas' [EXCLUSIVE]". Decider. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs. the World - Season 1". WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ RuPaul's Drag Race (April 20, 2023), Meet the Queens of All Stars 8! 🌟 | QUEEN RUVEAL | RuPaul's Drag Race AS8 👠✨, retrieved April 20, 2023
- ^ Jimbo talks Pangina Heals and Stealing RuPaul's Hair on Drag Race All Stars 8 | Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly. April 26, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ The Queens Of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8" Play Who's Who. BuzzFeed Celeb. May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ^ RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars S8 Queens React to TikTok Trends | Allure. Allure. May 30, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Winners Reunite to Reflect On 9 Emmy Nominations | Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly. August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
- ^ Sharpe, Josh. "Video: Watch Trailer for 'Drag Me To the Movies' featuring Ginger Minj, Jujubee, & More". BroadwayWorld.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ Medina, Joel (April 29, 2024). "First 'Drag Me to The Movies' Trailer Takes Drag Race Royalty on a Parody Extravaganza [Exclusive]". Collider. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ "JIMBO - Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
- ^ "JIMBO the Drag Clown on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
- ^ "Joan! The Unauthorized Rusical". Spotify. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
External links
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