“RuPaul's Drag Race” queen and Taylor Swift music video star Jade Jolie comes out as trans

Jade Jolie, the RuPaul's Drag Race season 5 queen who went on to forge a successful career as a self-described Taylor Swift illusionist, has come out as trans.

The 36-year-old drag superstar made the announcement Sunday on social media in a brief message shared to her Twitter/X profile.

"Deciding to choose myself and move forward with my transition," Jade wrote, in addition to posting emojis of a teary-eyed face and a heart.

Many of Jade's Drag Race sisters responded to her with messages of support, including Mrs. Kasha Davis, Tatianna, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, and Monica Beverly Hillz, Jade's season 5 sister who became the first queen to come out as trans while competing on the show (Kylie Sonique Love previously came out on season 2 of the show, several episodes after her elimination).

"I love you so much sis," Monica replied. "I'm very proud of you I'm here if you need anything."

Laganja Estranja, who competed on season 6 of Drag Race before coming out as trans in a 2021 interview with EW, also praised Jade Wednesday on her Instagram Story, writing "so proud of you" underneath a photo of the pair together.

Taylor Swift/ Youtube Jade Jolie in Taylor Swift's 'You Need to Calm Down' music video.

Jade first rose to national attention on Drag Race in 2013, finishing season 5 in eighth place after being eliminated on episode 6.

The Florida native reunited with RuPaul as a guest star on Mama Ru's 2020 Netflix comedy AJ and the Queen, before joining the cast of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula season 4 as a competitor in 2021.

Outside of her work in drag on television, Jade appeared in Swift's cameo-heavy "You Need to Calm Down" music video in 2019, in which she portrayed a Swift lookalike alongside several other Drag Race stars dressed as Swift's pop diva peers.

Jade also inadvertently made headlines at the 2019 MTV VMAs, when John Travolta appeared to mistake her for the real Swift when presenting the "You Need to Calm Down" collaborators with the Video of the Year prize.

Read Jade's post about coming out as trans above.

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