Honey Davenport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Honey Davenport
Davenport in 2020
Born	James Clark (1985-08-13) August 13, 1985 (age 39) West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other names	Sir Honey Davenport
Occupation	Drag queen singer disc jockey
Years active	2008–present
Known for	RuPaul's Drag Race (season 11)
Spouse(s)	John Heath-Clark ​ (m. 2012)​
Relatives	Lee Daniels (cousin)
Musical career
Genres	Electronic synth-pop
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Chew Fu
Associated acts	Jayse Vegas Kareem McJagger Orion Simprini Electrohoney The Hunties Peppermint

James Heath-Clark (born August 13, 1985), known as Honey Davenport, is an American drag performer, singer, songwriter, actor, and activist. Honey Davenport became famous as a contestant on season 11 of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Born in West Philadelphia, James Heath-Clark moved to New York for college. There, he studied musical theater. He started his career as a backup dancer for another performer named Peppermint. Later, he created his own dance group called The Hunties. After becoming a drag queen, Honey Davenport entered many drag competitions. She won 18 titles between 2013 and 2018.

In 2013, her band, Electrohoney, released an album and starred in a live show called The Electric Highway. She also performed in two off-Broadway shows, The Orion Experience (2013) and Trinkets (2017–2018). In Trinkets, she played the main character.

While her season of Drag Race was on TV in 2019, Davenport released songs and music videos from her first album, Raw and Unfiltered. Since then, she has started a solo music career. She has toured in the U.S. and other countries. She has also hosted and appeared on online shows about drag and culture. In late 2019, she starred in two more shows: Raw and Unfiltered, a live version of her album, and Stocking Stuffer: A Christmas Show with Balls. In early 2020, she and Aja released "Draw the Blood." Its music video was the first one she directed.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Davenport has made more songs, music videos, and online content. Sometimes she works with other artists. Her second album, Love Is God, came out in January 2022. In 2023, she released a song and video called "Mighty Legendary." She also acted in a movie called God Save the Queens, which premiered in January 2023.

Honey Davenport often uses her art to talk about social justice. She also speaks up for transgender rights, especially in the drag community. In 2018, she gained attention for leaving her job at a Manhattan gay bar. She did this to protest racism she experienced there.

Early Life and First Steps into Drag

James Clark was born on August 13, 1985, in West Philadelphia. His mother raised him and taught him to share his feelings through rapping.

James started writing poetry about social justice when he was 10. He loved music and joined his church choir. At 13, he began writing songs. As a child, he enjoyed boxing. As a teenager, he started spoken word poetry. In high school, he was in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC). He was a squadron commander and captain of his rifle team.

When he was 15, James attended the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts. He and a friend dressed up as each other for a "come as you are not" party. He says this was his first time dressing in drag. At 17, he moved to New York City to study musical theatre. He lived near other famous drag queens like Vivacious, Sahara Davenport, and Peppermint.

Becoming a Drag Performer

After college, James Heath-Clark was in the national tour of the musical Hairspray. This was where he first saw drag as a performance art. This experience made him want to become a drag performer. For four years, he worked as a backup dancer for Peppermint. His first time performing in drag was on April 20, 2008. His first paid show as Honey Davenport was with Bob the Drag Queen.

Career Highlights

Nightlife and Competitions

Honey Davenport performing a lip sync in New York in 2019

Honey Davenport has hosted many drag shows in New York City, New Jersey, Fire Island, and Key West. She also works as a DJ. She has won six Glam Awards for her work in New York City's queer nightlife. These awards are like the Oscars for the community. She won for Club Party of the Year (2017), Door Goddess (2017 and 2018), Best Hostess (2019), and Best Video (2020). In 2020, she was named Music Artist of the Year at GIANT Fest, a music festival in Brooklyn.

Before Drag Race, Davenport often competed in drag pageants. By 2018, she had won 18 titles. She tried to win Miss Stonewall four times before finally winning in 2015. Fourteen of her wins happened between 2013 and 2016. A big win was the national title of Miss'd America 2015. At the same time, she held seven other titles. In February 2018, Davenport won the Miss Paradise pageant in Asbury Park, New Jersey. She had been performing at Paradise, the club that hosts the pageant, for years.

Early Music, Theater, and TV Work

In the early 2010s, Davenport was the lead singer of Electrohoney, a synth-pop band. They released an album in 2013. After the album, the band created and starred in The Electric Highway. This was a live rock opera with their songs. The story was set in New York in 2092. It followed Davenport (playing herself) as she tried to become a legend.

In summer 2013, Davenport acted in The Orion Experience. This was a sci-fi musical off-Broadway. It had a glam rock soundtrack by The Orion Experience. Davenport played The Queen of White Lies. Both The Electric Highway and The Orion Experience played at the XL Nightclub in New York City.

In 2015, Davenport and Orion worked together again on a song called "T.R.O.U.B.L.E." That same year, she appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as a Whitney Houston impersonator. From 2017 to 2018, Davenport had the main role in Trinkets, an off-Broadway play.

RuPaul's Drag Race Experience

Honey Davenport posing at RuPaul's DragCon LA 2019

Honey Davenport tried out for RuPaul's Drag Race eight times. Finally, she was chosen as one of 15 contestants for the show's 11th season. It started on February 28, 2019. Getting the invitation was hard for her. She had no home and was having marriage problems. She borrowed about $20,000 from friends to buy her outfits for the show.

For the first challenge, a photo shoot, she worked with her mentor, Manila Luzon. Manila was a runner-up on season 3 of Drag Race. Honey Davenport was eliminated in the third episode. This was during the show's first-ever six-way Lip Sync for Your Life. She finished in 13th place.

One of Davenport's "drag daughters," Monét X Change, was on season 10 of RuPaul's Drag Race. Monét won season 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Two of Davenport's "drag aunts" have also been on the show: Sahara Davenport and Kennedy Davenport. Other season 11 contestants, Ra'Jah O'Hara and A'keria C. Davenport, are also part of the Davenport drag family.

Raw and Unfiltered Album

Davenport's 2019 album, Raw and Unfiltered, is about being a queer person of color in America. Chew Fu produced it. Davenport released each song from Raw and Unfiltered while Drag Race season 11 was airing. The music videos showed outfits she would have worn if she had stayed on the show longer. The first song and video, "The Hive," came out during the second week of the season. Davenport co-wrote "The Hive" with Jayse Vegas.

The song "Cocoa Butter" was co-produced by Davenport, Vegas, Will Sheridan, Nedra Belle, and Kareem McJagger. Kareem McJagger is also Davenport's drag daughter. The video for "Cocoa Butter" won a Glam Award. In July 2019, Davenport performed a live show based on Raw and Unfiltered. It played at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in Manhattan.

After Drag Race (2019)

In spring 2019, Davenport launched the first season of her weekly YouTube series and podcast, Da Fuq. That May, she released "Stan for You." This song and music video were for Pride and featured Drag Race season 11 winner Yvie Oddly. During the summer, she toured the U.S. with other contestants from her season. She also had a small role in Eureka O'Hara's music video "Pretty Hot and Tasty" in August 2019.

In October 2019, Davenport went to Australia for Pride events. She wanted to raise awareness for queer people of color there. She told DNA magazine that it was important for her people to be represented everywhere. She appeared at the first-ever Black Pride Awards in Cairns. After her activism trip, she joined other Drag Race contestants for The Sickening Ball tour. This Halloween-themed show had stops in Australia and New Zealand.

In November 2019, Trustpilot, a website for consumer reviews, launched an ad campaign with Davenport. She appeared on billboards and in a commercial. Later that month, Davenport and Peppermint were guests on the VH1 online show Black Girl Beauty. During the 2019 holiday season, Davenport starred in Stocking Stuffer: A Christmas Show with Balls. On Christmas Eve 2019, she released a song called "Present (Tie You Down)."

Music and Online Content During the Pandemic (2020–2021)

In February 2020, Davenport and Aja released "Draw the Blood." This song's music video was Davenport's first time directing. The song is about the danger of not acting when you see racism. Its video shows personal experiences of Davenport and her friends. The title means that people who don't help when they see unfairness have "blood on their hands." Aja and Davenport wrote parts of the song. Kareem McJagger wrote the main part.

The second season of Da Fuq started in April 2020. That same month, Jayse Vegas featured Davenport in a remix of his song "Energy." Mo Heart also featured her in the music video "Hot Sauce and High Heels (Kinky Boots Remix)." In May 2020, Billboard said Davenport's performance at RuPaul's Digital DragCon was one of the best moments. In June, she released "Digital Rainbow," a song about celebrating Pride during the COVID-19 pandemic. The song featured Oddly, Vegas, Widow Von'Du, and Cazwell. The song and video were made while everyone was in quarantine. Each person recorded their part at home, and the clips were put together later.

In August 2020, Davenport appeared in "Nerves of Steel," a music video by the English band Erasure. Later that summer, she helped direct Shuga Cain's music video "Sweet Love." In October, Davenport, Alaska Thunderfuck, and Miss Coco Peru appeared in a music video medley. This was to raise money for COVID-19 relief for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. That same month, Davenport was in Divas for Democracy: United We Slay. This online show encouraged Americans to vote in the 2020 United States presidential election. Before Halloween, Davenport and Loris released a song and music video called "Freaky Planet."

As of February 2021, Davenport hosted a monthly Twitch show called Something of a Different Color. It featured performers who are POC. The third season of Da Fuq premiered in May of that year.

Recent Projects (2022–Present)

Honey Davenport at RuPaul's DragCon LA 2022

In November 2021, Davenport and Manila Luzon released "Love Is God." This was the first song from Davenport's album of the same name, which came out in January 2022. Love Is God includes pop, disco, house, and reggaeton songs. It features collaborations with Kevin Aviance, LaLa Ri, Jackie Cox, and Tammie Brown. The music video for "Thrive," the song with Aviance, was released with the album. Davenport also directed a short musical film called Love Is God: The Visual Album.

Davenport co-starred (as herself) in God Save the Queens. This movie premiered in January 2023. The film follows three different drag queens in Los Angeles, New York, and Las Vegas. It shows them managing their careers and personal challenges.

In June 2023, Davenport released a song called "Mighty Legendary." A "Legends Only" remix of the song, featuring Alaska Thunderfuck, came out with a music video in September 2023.

Davenport plans to release a perfume line called Pollen 8 and a makeup line called Bee Yourself. She is also working on music with Jan Sport and a podcast called The Wake and Bake with Jasmine Masters.

Activism and Advocacy

Honey Davenport believes it is important to use her drag career to help others. She often bases her looks, performances, and music on political ideas. She told Entertainment Weekly, "I like to use my drag as a platform for the voiceless; for women, people of color, and those who aren't being heard." She also told KCRW that drag has "become a protest." Davenport has spoken strongly about racial equality and gun control. These issues have affected her life since she was a child.

In November 2018, Davenport led the We Vote parade in New York City. This parade encouraged Americans to vote in the 2018 elections. Her final outfit on Drag Race honored an outfit Lady Gaga wore to pay tribute to Trayvon Martin. In fall 2019, Davenport and other former Miss'd America winners spoke out against a rule. The rule banned trans women from competing in the pageant. Davenport said that being Miss'd America was one of her favorite achievements. She enjoyed using her art to help the LGBT community. She decided she could no longer support the pageant with that rule in place.

About Drag Race not having many trans contestants, Davenport said that everyone should help with this. She believes it is Drag Race's chance to accept trans people. She also said it is everyone's job to create platforms for them.

When the George Floyd protests started in 2020, Davenport worked with two other New York City drag queens. They asked every queer venue in the city to promise to hire more black staff and entertainers. In a June 2020 interview, she described an incident. About ten years earlier, she was stopped by police officers in Harlem. They threw her to the ground and handcuffed her. One officer put a knee on her neck while another searched her. They said they stopped her because she matched a description. When they found nothing, they told her she should be happy she wasn't going to jail. This event helped inspire her song "Draw the Blood." The music video shows a reenactment of her encounter with the police.

On Easter Sunday in 2023, Davenport and Drag Race season 14 contestant Kerri Colby performed at Drag March Los Angeles. This was a protest against anti-LGBT laws.

Personal Life

Honey Davenport wearing a black-and-yellow outfit at RuPaul's DragCon LA 2023

James Heath-Clark knew he was gay for most of his life. He first told his godfather, who was also his math teacher. His godfather promised to always support him. Heath-Clark told his mother he was gay at age 19. She was supportive. At first, she was not happy about his decision to do drag. But she changed her mind after seeing him perform. Heath-Clark's father found out he was a drag queen in 2013. He visited New York to see Heath-Clark act in The Orion Experience. His father was very supportive.

Heath-Clark identifies as non-binary and pansexual. He and his husband, John, got married on December 31, 2012. They have a pet cat. Heath-Clark lived in New York City until late 2019. Then, he moved to Los Angeles after his season of Drag Race aired. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he still worked in both cities.

As of May 2020, Heath-Clark follows a vegan diet. He has also shared that he experiences anxiety.

Hollywood director Lee Daniels is Heath-Clark's cousin. Lee Daniels created the TV show Empire and produced movies like Monster's Ball and Precious.

Music

Albums

EPs

Singles

As the Main Artist

As a Featured Artist

Film and Television

Film

Television

Online Shows

Music Videos

As the Main Artist or Director

Featured and Cameo Roles

Theater Performances

Images for kids

• 

  Davenport in 2020

• 

  Davenport performing a lip sync in New York in 2019

• 

  Davenport at RuPaul's DragCon LA 2019

• 

  Honey Davenport at RuPaul's DragCon LA 2022

• 

  Honey Davenport at RuPaul's DragCon LA 2023