Kameron Michaels

Kameron Michaels, the stage name of Dane Young, is an American drag performer who gained international recognition as a contestant on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Born on July 23, 1986, Young spent most of his youth in Columbia, Tennessee, after residing briefly in Ohio and Michigan. He began performing in Nashville, where he worked as a go-go dancer, server, and full-time hair stylist before transitioning into a prominent full-time drag career.

Young grew up as an only child and realized his sexual orientation in his early teens, coming out to his supportive mother at age 14. After facing high school bullying that fostered introverted habits, he studied his own movements to modify or avoid effeminate gestures. At age 18, he started traveling to Nashville's nightlife venues on weekends, eventually relocating to the city at age 21 to join its supportive queer community.

Adopting the stage name Kameron Michaels after briefly using Arianna St. Claire, Young crafted a hyper-feminine drag style inspired by cinema and video games. He developed skills in dance and costume creation through Nashville's Southern drag culture while learning makeup independently. After taking up fitness in his mid-twenties, he earned the nickname "The Bodybuilder Barbie" and became known as a muscle queen, integrating a built physique and extensive tattoos—depicting childhood films and personal symbols—into his aesthetic.

Michaels achieved widespread fame in 2018 on season ten of RuPaul's Drag Race, finishing as a runner-up alongside Eureka O'Hara. Known on the show for her introverted nature, she survived four consecutive bottom-two eliminations, earning a reputation among commentators and peers as a lip sync assassin. She later returned to the franchise in 2021 as a guest Lip Sync Assassin on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, winning her performance against Ra'Jah O'Hara.

Following her television breakthrough, Michaels expanded into music and live touring. She contributed to the charted track "American" with her fellow finalists and recorded "Let It Snow" for a holiday compilation album. In June 2019, she debuted her solo single and music video, "Freedom." Her touring work includes extensive international engagements with Werq the World, 10s Across the Board, Christmas Queens, and the drive-in production Drive 'N Drag.

Starting in January 2020, Michaels became a core cast member of the Las Vegas residency show RuPaul's Drag Race Live! and co-starred in its accompanying television miniseries, RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue. Alongside her stage work, she has appeared in several World of Wonder web series and docuseries projects. In early 2025, Young expanded his career into health and wellness by becoming a certified personal trainer and launching a fitness initiative called Kameron Michaels Fitness.