Mercedes Iman Diamond
Born1987 or 1988 (age 35–36)[1]
Mombasa, Kenya
Other namesCurran
OccupationDrag queen
TelevisionRuPaul's Drag Race (season 11)

Mercedes Iman Diamond is the stage name of Curran,[2] a Kenyan-American drag performer who competed on season 11 of RuPaul's Drag Race. Originally from Mombasa, Kenya, Curran relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he created the drag persona Mercedes Iman Diamond and competed in pageants. Mercedes Iman Diamond was the first Muslim contestant on Drag Race. Memes of her on the show went viral, and her lines in a parody film challenge spawned a dance remix by Adam Joseph.

Early life

Curran is originally from Mombasa, Kenya.[3] He moved to the United States at the age of eleven. He created his drag persona Mercedes Iman Diamond at the Minneapolis club Gay 90s a decade later.[4]

Career

Mercedes Iman Diamond has a background in pageantry. She won the Miss Gay 90s pageant in 2016.[5] She was also named Miss City of the Lakes, and was second alternate to Miss Minnesota Continental.[6]

Mercedes Iman Diamond was the first Muslim contestant to compete on season 11 of RuPaul's Drag Race, which aired in 2019.[7][8] On the first episide, she performed poorly in the photo shoot mini-challenge, and wore an outfit inspired by former Drag Race contestant Bianca Del Rio for the final runway.[9] The acting challenge on the second episode required her to dance and recite dialogue inspired by the film Paris Is Burning (1990) in a parody of Get Out (2017).[10] Memes of her struggling to pronounce "opulence" went viral,[11][12] and her vocals received a dance remix from American singer-songwriter Adam Joseph.[13] Mercedes Iman Diamond subsequently eliminated Kahanna Montrese, her partner in the challenge, from the competition in a lip sync battle to "Work Bitch" (2013) by Britney Spears.[14][15]

Despite her initial reluctance,[16] on the third episode, Mercedes Iman Diamond described being racially profiled and placed on the No Fly List for years because she is from Kenya.[17][18][19] She also revealed that she had suffered from a stroke during a pageant, as a result of demanding travel requirements.[15][20] On the fourth episode ("Trump: The Rusical"), Mercedes Iman Diamond portrayed Ivanka Trump in the Grease-inspired Rusical (musical theatre challenge) about Donald Trump and the women in his life and cabinet.[21][22] Her performance placed her in the bottom two, and she was eliminated from the competition after losing a lip sync against Ra'Jah O'Hara to James Brown's "Living in America" (1985).[23][24]

Mercedes Iman Diamond continues to perform in drag shows and has large followings on social media.[25] She and Drag Race contestant Jaidynn Diore Fierce performed at the first drag brunch in Ely in 2022.[26]

Personal life

Curran lives in Minneapolis.[3] He is gay.[27]

Mercedes Iman Diamond is the "drag daughter" of Prada Diamond.[28]

Filmography

Television

Web series

See also

References

  1. ↑ Stroude, Will (January 25, 2019). "Meet the queens of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' season 11". Attitude. ISSN 1353-1875. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  2. ↑ Kiunguyu, Kylie (2019-02-27). "First Muslim drag queen on "RuPaul's Drag Race" hails from Kenya". This Is Africa. Archived from the original on 2023-09-06. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  3. 1 2 Johnson, Shakeena (2019-04-14). "Mercedes Iman Diamond Talks Drag Race, Opulence & Representation". AZ Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-05-08. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  4. ↑ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11 Cast: Meet the 15 Queens Vying for the Crown". Yahoo Entertainment. 2019-01-24. Archived from the original on 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  5. ↑ Holdgrafer, George (2016-11-23). "Barometer: Mercedes Iman-Diamond Captures Miss Gay 90's 2016 Title". Lavender. Archived from the original on 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  6. ↑ "Is this the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race season 11?". Gay Times. 2018-12-26. ISSN 0950-6101. Archived from the original on 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  7. ↑ Warren, Min-Jae. ""For me, drag is freedom"". The Century Times. Archived from the original on 2023-12-12. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  8. ↑ "This 'Drag Race' Season 11 Queen Just Got Real About Islamophobia". Out. ISSN 1062-7928. Archived from the original on 2019-03-22. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  9. ↑ Daw, Stephen (2019-03-06). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11 Power Ranking: Episode 1". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  10. ↑ "Kahanna Montrese Would Totally Join the 'Drag Race' Pit Crew". Out. Archived from the original on 2022-05-14. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  11. ↑ Cook, Michael (2019-03-26). "Mercedes Iman Diamond eliminated on "RuPaul's Drag Race"". Out In Jersey. Archived from the original on 2022-08-16. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  12. ↑ "Opulence" memes:
  13. ↑ "Drag Race star Mercedes' "Oppalance" has been given a dance remix". Gay Times. 2019-03-15. Archived from the original on 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  14. ↑ Guerra, Joey (2019-03-08). "Kahanna Montrese feels like she won 'Drag Race' despite early exit". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications. ISSN 1074-7109. OCLC 30348909. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  15. 1 2 "Drag Race's Mercedes reveals she had a stroke after being racially profiled". Gay Times. 2019-03-08. Archived from the original on 2021-11-27. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  16. ↑ "'RuPaul's Drag Race': Mercedes Iman Diamond on Her Legacy as the Show's First Muslim Queen (Exclusive)". Yahoo Entertainment. 2019-03-22. Archived from the original on 2023-12-12. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  17. ↑ "Drag Race's Mercedes reveals she had a stroke after being racially profiled". Gay Times. 2019-03-08. Archived from the original on 2021-11-27. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  18. ↑ Sultana, Rashad (2019-03-29). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' season 11: Mercedes Iman Diamond on queer Muslim representation & being wrongly put on the 'no fly list'". Queerty. Archived from the original on 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  19. ↑ "'Drag Race's' First Muslim Queen Says Religion Put Her on No-Fly List". Pride.com. Here Media. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  20. ↑ "Drag Race star Mercedes on "Oppalance" and advocating for the Muslim drag community". Gay Times. 2019-03-29. Archived from the original on 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  21. ↑ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' eliminee on fainting goats and bonding with Brooke Candy". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  22. ↑ Guerra, Joey (2019-03-21). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11: Trump the Rusical". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  23. ↑ Daw, Stephen (2019-03-22). "Mercedes Iman Diamond Talks 'Opulence' Memes, Politics & More After 'Drag Race' Exit". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  24. ↑ Holland, Scott (2019-03-25). "Mercedes Iman Diamond Talks 'Drag Race' Season 11". Hotspots! Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  25. ↑ Whittingham, Emily (2021-10-24). "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 11 Queens: Where Are They Now?". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  26. ↑ Johnson, Kenny (2022-08-07). "Ely's first ever drag brunch brings representation to The Iron Range". WDIO-DT. Archived from the original on 2023-05-29. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  27. ↑ "'Drag Race' Queen Mercedes Iman Diamond Wants Her Fans To Know It's OK To Be Muslim & Gay". Bustle. 2019-03-25. Archived from the original on 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  28. ↑ Most, Becca. "Fashion, fabulousness and self-love". Minnesota Daily. Archived from the original on 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  29. ↑ Whatcha Packin': Mercedes Iman Diamond – S11 E4 – RuPaul's Drag Race on YouTube
  30. ↑ Mercedes Iman Diamond on Look at Huh – Part 1 on YouTube
  31. ↑ Mercedes Iman Diamond on Look at Huh – Part 2 on YouTube
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