Carmen Carrera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carmen Carrera
|
|
|---|---|
Carmen Carrera at New York Fashion Week in September 2011
|
|
| Born | April 13, 1985 Elmwood Park, New Jersey, U.S.
|
| Other names | Gabriella Carrera |
| Occupation | Model, actress, showgirl |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Adrian Torres
(m. 2015–2021) |
| Modeling information | |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Agency | Wilhelmina Models |
Carmen Carrera (born April 13, 1985) is an American reality television personality, model, and actress. She is known for appearing on the third season of the Logo reality TV series RuPaul's Drag Race. She also appeared on its spin-off show, RuPaul's Drag U. Carmen Carrera is a transgender woman. She is also an activist who works for transgender rights.
Contents
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Carmen Carrera was born in Elmwood Park, New Jersey. In 2011, she became known for her appearance on the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race. This was a popular reality TV competition.
Carmen was one of the contestants who rejoined the show after being eliminated. She was part of a group called the "Heathers" with other contestants. In one episode, she was eliminated after a lip-sync performance. However, the judges decided to bring her back to the competition. She was later eliminated again after styling a male athlete in her unique fashion style.
Modeling and TV Appearances
In November 2011, Carmen Carrera was featured in W magazine. She was part of an art project that showed fictional products. Carmen was the face for a pretend perfume called La Femme. Also in 2011, she appeared in a TV commercial for the travel website Orbitz. She was with other Drag Race contestants.
Carmen also worked to raise awareness about AIDS. She was in an advertisement called "Red Ribbon Runway." The dress she wore in the ad was sold to raise money for the National Association of People with AIDS.
She also appeared on RuPaul's Drag U as a "drag professor." In one episode, she helped singer Stacey Q feel more confident. Carmen also appeared in a music video for the artist Lovari.
Speaking Out and Activism
On May 4, 2012, Carmen Carrera was on the ABC news show Primetime: What Would You Do?. She played a transgender server in a diner. This show was the first time Carmen publicly shared that she is transgender.
In June 2012, Carmen appeared on the TLC show Cake Boss. She was part of a prank that she did not know about. After the episode aired, Carmen spoke out about it on Facebook. The show's star, Buddy Valastro, later apologized. TLC then removed the episode and re-edited it.
Many people wanted Carmen to model in the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. A petition was started and got about 45,000 signatures. However, she was not chosen for the show.
In 2014, Carmen spoke out against RuPaul for using certain words on RuPaul's Drag Race. She continued to speak up in 2015 when the issue came up again. Carmen explained that while she was thankful for the chance to be on Drag Race, she earned her success through her own hard work and the support of her friends, family, and fans. She felt it was important to speak out against language she believed was harmful.
Recent Work and Recognition
Carmen Carrera has worked with famous photographer David LaChapelle. She posed for a poster for Life Ball, which showed different versions of her to represent gender identity.
In 2014, The Advocate magazine included Carmen in their "40 under 40" list. She also made a brief appearance on the first episode of Jane the Virgin.
Also in 2014, Carmen was on the cover of C☆NDY magazine. She was featured with thirteen other transgender women, including Janet Mock and Laverne Cox.
In 2023, Carmen was part of AT&T's "Turn Up The Love" Pride Month campaign in Dallas, Texas. She also walked in fashion shows for Nike, Natalia Fedner, Lila Nikole Rivera, and Michael Costello at Miami Swim Week.
Personal Life
Carmen Carrera was in a relationship with Adrian Torres starting in 2009. They separated in 2013 but got back together by 2015. They received counseling while being filmed for the TV show Couples Therapy. They got married on June 10, 2015, during the filming of the show. Their wedding was shown in the season finale. They later divorced in 2021.
Carmen publicly identified as a gay man during the filming of RuPaul's Drag Race. However, she began her gender transition after filming ended. She has Puerto Rican and Peruvian family background.
See also
In Spanish: Carmen Carrera para niños
