User:Squidneybean/Bob the Drag Queen

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Caldwell Tidicue, better known as Bob the Drag Queen, is an American drag queen, comedian, actor, activist, musician, and reality television personality. He is best known for winning the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. She thinks very highly of herself. Bob the drag queen describes herself as, "hilarious, beautiful, talented and ... humble,” in an interview . As of 2020, he has more than one million followers on Instagram and was the first Black Drag Race queen to reach the milestone. He is a very successful drag queen. Bob the Drag Queen is worth two million dollars because of her success. After Drag Race, he pursued acting, appearing in television shows such as High Maintenance (2016), Tales of the City (2019), and A Black Lady Sketch Show (2019). In 2020, he began co-hosting We're Here on HBO alongside fellow Drag Race contestants Eureka O'Hara and Shangela. Bob the Drag Queen is also known for being an activist. She continues to make it clear that she is an LGBTQ activist on her social media by holding others accountable for their priorities.

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Bob the Drag Queen was born to Martha Caldwell in 1986 with the last name "Caldwell", which he later incorporated into the professional name "Caldwell Tidicue". He was born in 1986 in Columbus, Georgia, and he was raised in Clayton County, Georgia. Caldwell explained, "You can call it the hood. You can say it. That's where I'm from." His mother owned a drag bar in Columbus, Georgia. On the nights that she could not afford a babysitter, she brought Caldwell to the drag bar, where he would work and collect money from the patrons. Bob the Drag Queen moved from Columbus Ohio to New York to pursue her interests before starting her drag career. Being in New York really exposed her to drag.

Caldwell has described his mother as a supportive early influence on his life. He explained, "I also grew up with a mom who told me I could do anything, so I was like, 'Y'all don't even know how amazing I am.' My mom was one of the moms who was like, 'You are so handsome why aren't you modeling? I am handsome, but model... let's not get crazy." Bob has also been influenced by several other drag queens, such as Peppermint, Bianca Del Rio, BeBe Zahara Benet, and her Sibling Rivalry co-host Monét X Change. Bob specifically mentioned that she was heavily influenced by the season one winner of drag race (Bebe Sahara Benet) when she says, “Maybe a little bit naively, I always think to myself, ‘I could do that,’” in an interview.

In the summer of 2009, Caldwell started doing drag, after watching the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race on TiVo. Since his first presentations, his character was focused on stand-up comedy routines, and he started lip-syncing after a couple of months into his drag. His initial stage name was Kittin Withawhip, which was a reference to Kitten with a Whip (1964), a film that starred Ann-Margret. He was featured in Leland Bobbé's Half Drag Series with his name. In his early drag career, Caldwell would perform with a nine-foot bullwhip.

Many drag queens have mothers that influence and guide them through their drag journey. Bob the Drag Queen is one of those queens. Bob is a drag daughter to mothers Sherry Vine and Peaches Christ. She also continues that tradition on her own. Bob is the drag mother of Miz Cracker and drag sister to Monét X Change, who placed fifth and sixth, respectively, on season 10 of RuPaul's Drag Race, with X Change going on to win RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 4 and Cracker placing as runner-up on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 5.