Gigi Goode

Gigi Goode is an American drag performer, fashion designer, and television personality. She first gained widespread public attention as a competitor on the twelfth season of the reality series RuPaul's Drag Race, where she finished as a runner-up. Known for her vintage-inspired style and comedy skills, she has expanded her career into modeling, music video appearances, and garment design.

Goode was born on December 2, 1997, in Illinois, and grew up in Woodstock. She has Scandinavian and Scottish lineage. At age 12, she was introduced to LGBTQ culture through her uncle. Assisted by her mother, a costume and interior designer, Goode began experimenting with drag during her youth and delivered her first public drag performance at age 15. Her drag aesthetic developed strong influences from 1940s and 1950s fashion. She completed high school in Woodstock in 2016 and subsequently enrolled at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where she studied art. In 2017, she earned the David S. Monroe Art Award for outstanding achievement before leaving university to move to Los Angeles.

In 2020, Goode entered the twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race as the competition's youngest participant. Throughout the season, she collaborated closely with her mother to create many of her runway outfits. She won four main challenges during the competition, including the Snatch Game event for her portrayal of the humanoid-inspired character Maria the Robot, which earned critical praise for its physical comedy. Goode ultimately finished the season as a runner-up.

Following her television breakthrough, Goode participated in several digital and live drag productions. She took part in the Werq the World Battle Royale charity livestream and toured with the Drive 'N Drag concert series in 2020. That same year, she appeared in the Halloween special Bring Back My Ghouls alongside her fellow season twelve competitors. Goode has also featured in music videos, including Chester Lockhart's cover of I Put a Spell on You in 2018 and Sam Smith and Demi Lovato's I'm Ready in 2020. Additionally, she participated in the Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 fashion special. In 2024, Goode debuted her inaugural fashion line, with actress Nava Mau wearing one of her original garments to the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Goode received the Competition Contestant of 2020 award at the 46th People's Choice Awards. During the 2020 pandemic lockdowns, she resided in Los Angeles with the creative collective House of Avalon. Having initially described herself as genderfluid, Goode publicly came out as a transgender, non-binary woman in August 2021, documenting her transition process including hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries. She uses she/her pronouns.