Denali (drag queen)

Denali
Denali at RuPaul's DragCon LA, 2023
Born
Cordero Matthew Zuckerman

(1992-04-01) April 1, 1992 (age 32)
Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.
Other namesDenali Foxx
Tonya Hardon[1]
EducationUniversity of Utah (BA)
TelevisionRuPaul's Drag Race (season 13)
Websitedenaliqueen.com

Denali Foxx[2][3] (or simply Denali) is the stage name of Cordero Matthew Zuckerman (born April 1, 1992),[4][5][6] an American drag performer, figure skater, and choreographer most known for competing on the thirteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Early life[edit]

Born to Jeffrey Alan Zuckerman and Jo Ann Hernandez[6] on April 1, 1992, in Fairbanks, Alaska,[4] Zuckerman was raised by parents of Mexican and Jewish descent.[7][8][9] Zuckerman graduated from University of Utah in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish Language and Literature and a minor in comparative literature and Korean.[10]

Career[edit]

Zuckerman is a double gold medalist in the U.S. Figure Skating moves and freestyle category and a PSA certified coach. He has skated with Cirque du Soleil, SeaWorld, and Royal Caribbean Productions and choreographed for Team USA figure skaters Mariah Bell, Amber Glenn, and Ashley Cain-Gribble/Timothy LeDuc.[11][12]

Denali competed on the thirteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. She was the first contestant from Alaska and the first to compete with ice skates.[11] During the show, she eliminated Kahmora Hall from the competition by lip syncing to "100% Pure Love" by Crystal Waters,[13][14] portrayed a Russian bot in "Social Media: The Unverified Rusical",[15] and impersonated Jonathan Van Ness during Snatch Game.[16] She was eliminated in the season's makeover challenge after a lip sync against Olivia Lux, finishing in 8th place.

Personal life[edit]

Zuckerman lives in Chicago, as of 2018.[17] He has a third-degree black belt in martial arts.[7]

In 2017, Zuckerman was arrested for public intoxication and possession of a controlled substance while performing with Cirque du Soleil.[18]

Discography[edit]

Title Year Notes
"Phenomenon (Cast Version)" 2021 By RuPaul featuring the Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 13

Filmography[edit]

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes Ref
2021 RuPaul's Drag Race Contestant (8th Place) Season 13
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked
RuPaul's Drag Race: Corona Can't Keep a Good Queen Down[19] Herself Stand-alone special [19]

Web series[edit]

Year Title Role Notes Ref
2020 Meet the Queens Herself Stand-alone special [20]
2021 Ruvealing the Look Guest [21]
Whatcha Packin' [22]
The X Change Rate [23]
2022 Out of the Closet [24]
2023 Give It To Me Straight [25]
The Pit Stop [26]

Music videos[edit]

Song Year Ref
"When I Grow Up (Ice Version)" 2021 [27]
"Shackles (Praise You)" 2021 [28]
"Telepatía" 2021 [29]
"Diva Duets" 2021 [30]
"El Diablo" 2021 [31]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Award-giving body Category Work Results Ref.
2022 The Queerties Future All-Star Herself Won [32]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Yee, Lawrence (January 2021). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Queens Reveal Their Original Drag Names: Beyonce, Yoko Tsunami and … Tonya Hardon??? (Video)". The Wrap. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  2. ^ Ramos, Manny (October 16, 2020). "Successful 'Drop Dead Drag Pageant' goes on at the Lakeshore Drive-In". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  3. ^ "Meeting the Queens of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 13 (Part 1)". 29 December 2020. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Meet the Novices: Men". Archived from the original on 2021-04-18. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  5. ^ Upshaw, Cheryl (February 11, 2021). "Denali Foxx: Alaska Assassin Ices Out the Competition on 'Drag Race'". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021. Cordero Zuckerman, 28, is a Chicago-based performer formerly from Fairbanks. His history in the area has influenced everything from his costumes to his drag name: Denali Foxx.
  6. ^ a b "Cordero Matthew Zuckerman". Ancestry Institute. Ancestry. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Sim, Bernardo (December 12, 2020). "RuPaul's Drag Race: Everything To Know About Denali". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  8. ^ Villa, Lucas (2021-02-02). "Denali Foxx is Serving Mexicana Representation on 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". Mitú. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
  9. ^ Giron, Martin (2021-05-04). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Star Denali Foxx Says She 'Can't Wait' for Houston Show - OutSmart Magazine". OutSmart. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
  10. ^ Program - Santa & Friends on Ice - Beau Rivage Resort and Casino 2-28, 2014
  11. ^ a b "RuPaul's Drag Race: Why Denali Never Made It To Olympics As A Figure Skater". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  12. ^ Blanton, Kayla (January 15, 2021). "Watch Drag Race Queen Denali Ice Skate (And Do A Back Flip) In Full Drag". Bustle. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  13. ^ Alter, Rebecca (23 January 2021). "Get Into This Lip Sync Even if You Don't Watch RuPaul's Drag Race". Vulture.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  14. ^ Kim, Michelle (January 25, 2021). "Denali and Kahmora Hall's "100% Pure Love" Lip Sync Will Go Down in Drag Race Herstory". them. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  15. ^ "A fun, if flimsy Rusical moves the RuPaul's Drag Race season narrative forward". The A.V. Club. 20 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-02-20. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  16. ^ "'Drag Race' Season 13's Iconic Snatch Game Impressions, Ranked". Bustle. 6 March 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-09-16. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  17. ^ Damshenas, Sam. "Drag Race season 13 star Denali shares fierce new lip sync to When I Grow Up". Gay Times. Archived from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  18. ^ Sabawi, Fares (October 13, 2017). "Cirque du Soleil performers arrested in San Antonio days before show". Mysa. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Ramos, Dino-Ray (2021-02-17). "VH1 To Release 'RuPaul's Drag Race: Corona Can't Keep A Good Queen Down'; Docu Chronicles Shooting Reality Series During Pandemic". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  20. ^ MEET THE QUEENS - Denali, December 9, 2020, archived from the original on November 16, 2022, retrieved November 16, 2022
  21. ^ Denali's Yellow Python Look | Ruvealing the Look | RuPaul's Drag Race S13, March 15, 2021, archived from the original on November 16, 2021, retrieved August 26, 2021
  22. ^ Kandy Muse's Whatcha Packin' | S13 E10 | RuPaul's Drag Race, March 12, 2021, archived from the original on November 16, 2021, retrieved August 26, 2021
  23. ^ The X Change Rate: The Queens of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 13, January 1, 2021, archived from the original on November 23, 2021, retrieved November 23, 2021
  24. ^ Denali ⛸ A Medal Winning Journey | S6 E3 | Out of the Closet 👗, November 15, 2022, archived from the original on November 15, 2022, retrieved November 16, 2022
  25. ^ DENALI - "Give It To Me Straight" Ep12 - Hosted by Maddy Morphosis | E12 | Give It To Me Straight, June 30, 2023, archived from the original on June 30, 2023, retrieved June 30, 2023
  26. ^ The Pit Stop AS8 E10 🏁 | Bianca Del Rio & Denali Have A Kikiana! | RuPaul's Drag Race AS8, July 8, 2023, archived from the original on June 30, 2023, retrieved July 9, 2023
  27. ^ Denali - When I Grow Up (Ice Version), January 2, 2021, archived from the original on November 16, 2022, retrieved November 16, 2022
  28. ^ Denali - Shackles (Praise You) by Jordan Magro, March 13, 2021, archived from the original on November 16, 2022, retrieved November 16, 2022
  29. ^ Denali - telepatía, March 25, 2021, archived from the original on November 16, 2022, retrieved November 16, 2022
  30. ^ Denali x Lala Ri- Diva Duets, June 2, 2021, archived from the original on November 16, 2022, retrieved November 16, 2022
  31. ^ Denali - El Diablo by Yendry, October 5, 2021, archived from the original on November 16, 2022, retrieved November 16, 2022
  32. ^ "'The 2022 Queerties". Cheat Sheet. February 24, 2022. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.

External links[edit]

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