Valentina

Valentina Xunaxi Leyva, born May 14, 1991, and known mononymously as Valentina, is an American drag performer, actress, television personality, and singer. She rose to international prominence as a contestant on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. In 2023, she expanded her television hosting career by co-hosting the inaugural season of Drag Race México.

Valentina was born in Bell, California, to Mexican parents and was raised Catholic. Prior to pursuing drag, she built a background in fashion and the performing arts. She began working as a drag queen roughly ten months before filming RuPaul's Drag Race, adopting her stage name from the Mexican hot sauce brand. She uses her drag performance as a vehicle to represent Latin American culture and foster greater acceptance of drag in Latin American communities.

Her career began with a victory in a 2015 early club version of the Boulet Brothers' Dragula contest. In February 2017, she was announced for season nine of RuPaul's Drag Race, where her runway presentations frequently incorporated Mexican heritage and cultural figures, including Mariachi attire, actress María Félix, and matadors. After winning the second episode's maxi-challenge, she was eliminated in episode nine to Nina Bo'nina Brown following a viral lip-sync performance to Ariana Grande's "Greedy," finishing seventh overall. Viewers subsequently voted her Miss Congeniality.

In November 2018, Valentina was announced for season four of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. She won the second episode's maxi-challenge and lip-sync before being eliminated in seventh place during episode seven. In 2023, she co-hosted season one of Drag Race México alongside Lolita Banana, before being replaced by Taiga Brava for season two. She also hosted her own seven-episode internet show, La Vida De Valentina, in 2017.

Outside of the Drag Race franchise, Valentina portrayed Angel in Fox's televised production Rent: Live in January 2019, played Quiet Ann in a recap of Claws, and made a cameo in the 2021 film In the Heights. On July 21, 2026, she made her Broadway debut as Columbia in a revival of The Rocky Horror Show, becoming the first trans Mexican American actress featured as a main cast member in a Broadway musical. Her print and television work includes appearances in Vogue Mexico, Elle Mexico, Preview, and America's Next Top Model, alongside her December 2018 debut single, "A Prueba de Todo."

Valentina came out as non-binary in 2019, maintaining the use of she/her pronouns. On May 14, 2025, her 34th birthday, she publicly came out as a transgender woman and announced that she had begun transitioning.