Venus D-Lite | |
|---|---|
 D-Lite in 2017 | |
| Born | Adam Daniel Guerra (1983-09-05)September 5, 1983 (age 42)[1] Rosemead, California, U.S. |
| Education | Orange Coast College Los Angeles Community College |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2002–present |
Adam Daniel Guerra (born September 5, 1983),[2][3] known by his stage nameVenus D-Lite, is an American drag performer, television personality andMadonna impersonator. He gained recognition for competing on thethird season ofRuPaul's Drag Race, and went viral with his appearance in aMy Strange Addiction episode called "Addicted To BeingMadonna" (2015).[4]
Guerra was raised in Rosemead, California.[5] He attendedSan Gabriel High School and thenOrange Coast College, where he majored in business.[6] He was also pursuing a degree infilm fromLos Angeles Community College, but dropped out in order to pursue a career in drag full-time.[7]
Guerra started performing as D-Lite (in aMarilyn Monroe impersonation) on August 5, 2002[8] and made his first television appearance onThe Ricki Lake Show in 2003.[9] His drag name came from a combination of “Venus” (taken from “Venus Was Her Name”, a song byShocking Blue), and “D-Lite”, a name thought of by Guerra's then-boyfriend and makeup artist of three years.[10] A fan of Madonna, he spent over $175,000 on 19 surgeries to look like her for his performances.[11] He was announced as a contestant onRuPaul's Drag Race season 3 on January 24, 2011.[12] He was eliminated in the first episode, after losing alip sync to "The Right Stuff" byVanessa Williams againstShangela, and placed thirteenth.[13] He did however make a guest appearance on the first episode of thefourth season.
In 2014, he made an appearance onBotched to getrhinoplasty surgery.[14] He was in an episode ofMy Strange Addiction in 2015 to discuss his Madonna obsession.[15][16] He was also with fellowDrag Race alumni in an episode ofSkin Wars.[17]
On February 5, 2015,Drag Race winnerBianca Del Rio featured Venus in an episode of herWOWPresents web series "Really Queen?" where she made jokes about her.[18] Venus appeared in a reaction video on February 25 by WOW making jokes back at Del Rio.[19]
Aside from Madonna, he has previously impersonatedMarilyn Monroe,Paris Hilton,Cher,Gwen Stefani,Judy Garland, andBarbra Streisand.[7]
Guerra released his first single "I'm Not Madonna" featuring singerJenn Cuneta on July 7, 2014, on a remix EP.[20] He collaborated with fellowBotched guests Toby Sheldon and Kitty Jay for the single "The Plastics", credited as a band of the same name.[21]
Guerra is gay.[22] In 2021, he came out as HIV-positive in an interview with Joseph Shepherd.[23]
In June 2022, Venus made anInstagram post admitting that he wasraped by a fellow Drag Race alum in 2013, one described as a “popular queen”, but refused to name the rapist.[24]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Ricki Lake Show | Himself | |
| 2011, 2012 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Season 3 – 13th, Season 4 – Guest | |
| 2011 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | ||
| 2014 | Botched | Season 1 – Episode 5: "Like a Surgeon" | |
| 2015 | My Strange Addiction | Season 6 – Episode 6: "Grandma Lover / Addicted to Being Madonna" | |
| Skin Wars[25] | Season 2 – Episode 4: "Queens or Divas?" |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Hey Qween![26] | Herself |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2014 | "I'm Not Madonna" |
| 2014 | "The Plastics" |
