Valentina | |
|---|---|
 Valentina atRuPaul's DragCon LA in 2017 | |
| Born | (1991-05-14)May 14, 1991 (age 34) Bell, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Xunaxi[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Drag queen,Actor |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Known for | |
| Title | Miss Congeniality |
| Predecessor | Cynthia Lee Fontaine |
| Successor | Monét X Change |
| Website | Official Instagram |
Valentina Xunaxi Leyva[2] (born May 14, 1991),[2] better known mononymously asValentina, is an Americandrag performer, actor, television personality and singer who came to international fame as a contestant on theninth season ofRuPaul's Drag Race and thefourth season ofRuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. In 2023, she was announced as the co-host ofseason one ofDrag Race México alongsideLolita Banana.
Valentina was born inBell, California, to Mexican parents and grew upCatholic.[3][2] She began working as a drag queen around ten months before filmingRuPaul'sDrag Race, although she already had a background in fashion and the performing arts.[4] Leyva chose to go by "Valentina" in drag afterthe hot sauce of the same name.[5] Valentina is known for using her drag as a way to represent Latin American culture on stage and make drag more accepted in Latin American culture.[2]
In 2015, Valentina won an early club version of the Boulet Brothers'Dragula" contest, a precursor of thetelevision show.
On February 2, 2017, Valentina was announced as one of fourteen contestants competing for theninth season ofRuPaul's Drag Race.
In the First Episode of the season, "Oh. My. Gaga.", Valentina introduced herself to theRupaul's Drag Race fandom wearing a red dress, red and gold jewelry and a wig with two large red roses in it. During the "Miss Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent Pageant" in the Hometown runway portion in the first episode of the season, Valentina paid tribute to her Mexican heritage by wearing aMariachi inspired leotard with chaps and asombrero with gold embellishments on the entire outfit.[6] The Mariachi is significant in Mexican culture as a symbol of Mexican Nationalism and tradition. Mariachi is composed of a 12-person band that play a variety of string and some brass music and an accordion. A Mariachi band is usually composed of men, so Valentina's choice to portray herself as a female Mariachi is not as widely portrayed in Mexican Nationalist Culture. As well as being a band, Mariachi is a mythic symbol of culture in Mexico and the Southwest United States.[7]
During the second episode of the Ninth season, "She Done Already Done Brought It On", Valentina was seen praying to a Virgin of Guadalupe candle before the Cheerleading Maxi-challenge that episode.The Virgin of Guadalupe is a symbol of the merging of Mexican and Native American cultures. She is an important symbol of the culture in Mexican and Mexican-American communities and within the Catholic church.[8] For the "White Party Realness" runway that episode, Valentina wore a white floral wedding gown inspired by her mother, stating she was the most beautiful bride in her village in Mexico.[6] She won that episode's Maxi-Challenge wearing her hair in a bun, topped with flowers, and bouquet in her hands, embodying classic Mexican cultural fashion.
During the "Faux Fur Realness" runway from the 5th episode of season 9, "Reality Stars: The Musical", Valentina channeled Mexican actressMaria Felix, wearing a snakeskin dress and a gold serpent necklace. Maria Felix was an actress in the 1940s who started her career on film in Mexico before continuing her career in Europe. Maria embodied the femininity and sexual desire that was prioritized in Mexican film in the period ofWorld War 2. She is also a symbol of Mexican culture worldwide.[9] The luxury jewelry brandCartier created a serpent necklace in 1968 with about 2,500 diamonds for Felix. Valentina wore a replica of this necklace on the runway in honor of the actress.
During Season 9 Episode 6, "Snatch Game", Valentina impersonatedAriadna Gutierrez, Miss Colombia of 2015. Ariadna was mistakenly crownedMiss Universe that year bySteve Harvey, who later crownedPia Wurtzbach, who represented the Philippines. She portrayed Gutierrez as traumatized by the Miss Universe Scandal, poking fun at her being a runner-up.
During Season 9 Episode 9, "Your Pilot's on Fire", Valentina wore a RedMatador costume, channeling her Hispanic heritage during the "Club Kid Couture" runway. A matador is abull fighter that uses art, dance, and movement to entrance the bull and gain the upper hand against it in the ring. The bull fighter's costumes offer no protection from the bulls and are known as a "Suit of Lights" in Hispanic culture. The redness of the cape and movement is meant to distract the bull long enough for the Matador to take a sword and attack the bull with it. Valentina's outfit had many Hispanic elements to it, such as the red roses all over her costume and headpiece, amontera hat, and cape with embroidered multicolored flowers to imitate theMatador. The matador by its nature is often exposed to danger, and some are fatally wounded by bulls during their performances.[10]
Valentina was eliminated in episode nine toNina Bo'Nina Brown after infamously losing a lipsync battle to "Greedy" byAriana Grande. She was reluctant to take off a mask covering her mouth as she did not know the lyrics to the song in a moment which went viral across social media while wearing a red costume symbolizing a matador who had been defeated by a bull. She placed seventh overall, and their elimination sparked some controversy online as she was popular with fans. She was later voted as "Miss Congeniality" by the viewers of the show, but was mockingly dubbed "Fan Favorite" by her castmates, due to their view that she was unsuitable for a congenial title.
During the Season 9, "Whatcha Packin'?", Hosted byMichelle Visage, Valentina explains that she references old Mexican cinema andtelenovelas. She attributes this to being very in touch with her Hispanic roots and heritage. She shows this love of Hispanic culture through florals, color choices, and fabrics that have ties to Latin culture.[11] During theseason 10 finale, Valentina appeared via a pre-recorded video message to crown her successor for the Miss Congeniality title,Monét X Change.[12]
Outside ofDrag Race, Valentina appeared in the sixth episode of thetwenty-fourth season ofAmerica's Next Top Model, in a photo shoot challenge with fellowDrag Race alumniManila Luzon andKatya.[13] She playedJudy Reyes's character Quiet Ann in a season-one recap ofClaws.[14] In 2017, she was the host of her ownWoWPresents internet show, "La Vida De Valentina" which ran for seven episodes.[15][16]
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On November 9, 2018, Valentina was announced as a contestant on the upcomingfourth season ofRuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, a spin-off of the regularDrag Race series which features returning contestants from past seasons competing for $100,000 to $250,000, a crown and scepter, and a place in the Drag Race: Hall of Fame[17].
Valentina performed a verse to the song "Don't Funk It Up" dressed asSelena Quintanilla-Perez. Selena was a Mexican-American pop star who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s, singing in both English and Spanish, gaining recognition in both Mexico and the US.[18] Valentina's look was inspired by Selena's performance at the Houston Astrodome Livestock Show & Rodeo in 1995, her last televised performance of Tejano music before being fatally shot. Valentina won the Maxi-Challenge that episode along withMonet X Change, and the pair lip-synced to the song, "Into You", byAriana Grande, in which Valentina won the lip-sync and episode, redeeming herself from her "Greedy" lip-sync in season 9 of Drag Race.
Valentina wore another Selena-inspired outfit on All Stars Season 4 Episode 6, "LalaPaRUza", in which she wore a sparkly maroon bodysuit with matching boots, where she lip-synced to the RuPaul song "Kitty Girl" winning againstFarrah Moan.
After being in the bottom three times and only scoring one win, Valentina was eliminated in the seventh episode of All Stars 4, "Queens of Clubs", byLatrice Royale when she failed to impress the judges in a design challenge, causing her andNaomi Smalls to be up for elimination. Valentina wore an outfit for that episode's "Plastique Fantastique" runway inspired by aMiss Venezuela and a plasticBarbie doll.
Outside ofDrag Race, Valentina appeared in the sixth episode of thetwenty-fourth season ofAmerica's Next Top Model, in a photo shoot challenge with fellowDrag Race alumniManila Luzon andKatya. She playedJudy Reyes's character Quiet Ann in a season-one recap ofClaws. In 2017, she was the host of her ownWoWPresents internet show, "La Vida De Valentina" which ran for seven episodes.
Valentina was in the October 2017 issue ofVogue Mexico, and filmed a makeup tutorial forVogue'sYouTube channel. She was in the July 2017 issue ofElle Mexico modeling designs by Benito Santos for his Red Carpet 2018 campaign. She appeared in the January 2018 issue ofFilipino magazinePreview. In April 2019, Valentina appeared inVogue Mexico for a second time.
In January 2019, Valentina portrayed Angel inRent: Live,Fox's televised production of the musicalRent. In June 2019, a panel of judges fromNew York magazine placed Valentina 20th on their list of "the most powerful drag queens in America", a ranking of 100 formerDrag Race contestants. In 2021, she made a cameo appearance inIn the Heights, during "No Me Diga".[19]
In 2023, Valentina appeared on an episode of the Drag Race Recap Youtube series, "The Pit Stop", in which she wore a floral dress,a Frida Kahlo inspired headpiece in her hair, with flowers styled into the buns on her head. Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist born in 1907, and she was one of the most influential artists of her time. She often painted florals in vibrant colors, as well as self portraits alongside exotic animals.
After long periods of fan speculation in 2023, Valentina was announced as the co-host ofDrag Race México alongsideLolita Banana who competed on thepremiere season ofDrag Race France.
In 2024, Valentina was subsequently replaced byTaiga Brava, winner ofQueen of the Universeseason two, as the co-host for the series.
Valentina released her debut single, "A Prueba de Todo", in December 2018.[20]
Drag Race: All Stars winnerAlaska Thunderfuck did a parody song of "Despacito" called "Valentina" in October 2017, with lyrics about Valentina and her infamous elimination from the show.[21] The cosmetics company Lush also referenced Valentina's elimination for advertising on one of their face masks.[22]
She is one of the most followed queens fromDrag Race, and has accumulated over 1.5 millionInstagram followers as of October, 2021.[23]
In 2019, Valentina came out as non-binary, stating that she will continue to useshe/her pronouns. Valentina is now one of several Drag Race alumni who identify as either nonbinary or gender-nonconforming.[24]
On May 14, 2025, on her 34th birthday, Valentina publicly came out as atransgender woman and announced that she had already beguntransitioning.[25]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017, 2018, 2021 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself | Season 9 – Contestant, 7th Place (Miss Congeniality), Season 10 & Season 13 – Guest |
| 2017 | La Vida de Valentina | Herself | Web series |
| 2018 | America's Next Top Model | Herself | Cameo |
| 2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars | Herself | Season 4 – Contestant, 7th Place |
| 2018 | Drag Tots | Arugula | Voice only |
| 2019 | Rent: Live | Angel Dumott Schunard | Special |
| 2019 | Werq the World[26] | Herself | Documentary series |
| 2020 | AJ and the Queen[27] | Cameo | Episode: "New York City" |
| 2020 | Hey Qween! | Herself | Guest[28] |
| 2020 | La Casa de las Flores[29] | Herself | Recurring role |
| 2021, 2023 | Drag Race España | Herself | Season 1, Episode 9 — Cameo,[30] Season 3, Episode 9 — Guest Judge |
| 2023 | Premio Lo Nuestro 2023[31] | Herself | Performer (songs fromLa Usurpadora, The Musical) |
| 2023 | Drag Race México[32] | Herself | Host |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Invasión Drag[33] | Herself | Documentary about drag and gay culture in Peru |
| 2021 | In the Heights[34][35] | Valentina | Cameo |
| 2023 | La Usurpadora: The Musical[36] | Lydia[37] | Remake of the 1998 telenovelaLa Usurpadora |
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "Yo Soy Su Vida"[38] | Gloria Trevi | The lover |
| 2019 | "Ábranse Perras" | Gloria Trevi | Cameo |
| 2020 | "I'm Ready"[39] | Demi Lovato,Sam Smith | Cameo |
| 2020 | "Always"[40] | Waze & Odyssey | Herself |
| 2020 | "La Mexicana"[41] | Paty Cantú | Cameo |
| 2021 | "Don't Go Yet"[42] | Camila Cabello | Herself |
| 2021 | "Como la Primera Vez"[43] | Zemmoa ft. Valentina, America Fendi | Featured artist |
| 2022 | "Kung Kita'y Kapiling"[44] | Troy Laurenta feat.Jake Zyrus | Herself |
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "A Prueba De Todo"[45] | Non-album single |
| 2020 | "All Eyes on Me"[46] | Non-album single |
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "Don't Funk It Up"[47] (Lizzo featuringTrinity the Tuck, Valentina,Manila Luzon,Latrice Royale, &Gia Gunn) | non-album single |
| 2021 | "Como La Primera Vez"[48] (Zemmoa featuring Valentina & America Fendi) | Lo Que Me Haces Sentir |
| 2022 | "Te Estoy Amando Locamente" (Roi Porto and Valentina) | non-album single |
I was raised Catholic
Media related toValentina at Wikimedia Commons
