Jaida Essence Hall


Jaida Essence Hall is the stage name of Jared Johnson, an American drag performer, costume designer, and makeup artist, best known for winning the twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Early life

Johnson was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is the fourth contestant from the city to compete on RuPaul's Drag Race and second winner after Trixie Mattel. He cites Milwaukee's sense of community and diversity of drag as major influences. He performed for a period of time at Hamburger Mary's.

Career

Johnson began drag in the early 2010s. Her name is a product of personal anecdotes and experiences that hold meaning. A friend called her "Jaida" when she put on a wig for the first time, and the name stuck. "Essence" came from her boyfriend, who called her "the essence of beauty" in a text message. "Hall" is the name of her drag family; her mothers are Tajma Hall and Prada Diamond, and her drag sisters are Mercedes Iman Diamond, Dida Ritz, and Kahmora Hall.
She rose to prominence in the drag scene through pageantry, winning titles such as Miss Five, Miss Gay Madison, Miss Wisconsin Club, and Miss City of the Lakes. She also performed a halftime show at a 2019 Milwaukee Bucks game.
Jaida is known for her design eye and makes many of her own outfits; her boyfriend makes her jewelry. She is also a makeup artist and painted Silky Nutmeg Ganache's face for the season eleven finale of RuPaul's Drag Race.
In July, Hall was featured in Drive N' Drag, a drive-in drag show.

''RuPaul's Drag Race''

Jaida was announced as a contestant on the twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race on January 23, 2020. During her time on the show, she won three main challenges, including the Fosse-style number on episode two, the political debate on episode nine, and the makeover on episode ten. She also had one appearance in the bottom two, after a shaky performance in the one-woman show on episode eleven. Jaida ultimately sent fan favorite, and eventual Miss Congeniality winner, Heidi N Closet, home after a lip sync showdown to Prince's hit song "1999". She was crowned the winner on May 29, 2020 after winning a three-way lip sync against Crystal Methyd and Gigi Goode to "Survivor" by Destiny's Child.

Personal life

Johnson identifies as queer.
He currently lives in West Allis.

Filmography

Television

Web series

Singles

Featured singles