Jared Johnson (born December 9, 1986), best known by the
stage nameJaida Essence Hall, is an American
drag queen and reality television personality best known for winning the
twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, and later returning to compete on the
seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, an all-winners season.[1] Since her season aired in 2020, Hall has been a staple of several domestic and international tours that feature Drag Race contestants, including
Werq the World,
A Drag Queen Christmas, and
Drive 'N Drag. In October 2020, Johnson was a featured performer in
Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Fashion Show Vol. 2.
Early life
Johnson was born in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is the third contestant from the city to compete on RuPaul's Drag Race and the second winner after
Trixie Mattel (winner of
All Stars Season 3). He cites Milwaukee's sense of community and diversity of drag as major influences, especially its country tongue. He performed for a period of time at
Hamburger Mary's.[2]
Career
Johnson began drag in the early 2010s.[3][4] 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.[5] "Hall" is the name of her drag family; her mothers are Tajma Hall and Prada Diamond, and her drag sisters are Mercedes Iman Diamond,
Naysha Lopez, Dida Ritz, and
Kahmora Hall.[6][7][8]
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.[3][4] She also performed a halftime show at a 2019
Milwaukee Bucks game.[4][9] Jaida is known for her design eye and makes many of her own outfits; her boyfriend makes her jewelry.[7] She is also a makeup artist and painted
Silky Nutmeg Ganache's face for the
season eleven finale of RuPaul's Drag Race.[10]
In July and August 2020, Hall on toured with
Drive 'N Drag, a
drive-in drag show held outdoors to accommodate
social distancing restrictions imposed due to
COVID-19.[11][12] Johnson was featured on the cover of the September issue of
Attitude magazine in 2020.[13] In October 2020, Johnson was a featured performer in
Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Fashion Show Vol. 2.[14] In September 2021, she performed alongside
Christina Aguilera at LadyLand Festival.[15] The following month, she performed at PridetoberFest at Henry Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee,[16] and the 10th annual Night of the Living Drag: The North American Halloween Tour.[17] In December, she will perform at the 2021 A Drag Queen Christmas event, produced by Murray & Peter.[18]
In January 2022, Jaida Essence Hall was added to the rotating cast of a dozen Drag Race queens in RuPaul's Drag Race Live!, a Las Vegas show residency at the
Flamingo Las Vegas.[19] In March, Jaida Essence Hall, alongside the rest of the RuPaul's Drag Race Live! cast, performed with
Katy Perry during her
Play concert residency at
Resorts World Las Vegas.[20] In April 2022, she will host a Grammy-inspired Fashion Show sponsored by
TikTok.[21] In July 2023, it was announced that Hall, alongside
Priyanka and
Sasha Velour, would be the new hosts of the upcoming fourth season of reality television series
We're Here. The three replaced the previous hosts,
Eureka,
Shangela, and
Bob the Drag Queen.[22] In 2024, she was announced as one of eight former Drag Race contestants participating in Painting with Raven, a spin-off of the
WOW Presents Plus series Painted with Raven.[23][24]
RuPaul's Drag Race
Jaida was announced as a contestant on the
twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race on January 23, 2020.[25] 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 (virtually) on May 29, 2020, after winning a three-way lip sync against
Crystal Methyd and
Gigi Goode to
"Survivor" by
Destiny's Child.[26][27] This performance earned Jaida a nomination for the 2020
People's Choice Awards, in the Competition Contestant category.[28]