The Big Picture

Jimbo’s Drag Circus blends clowning and drag for a unique, interactive, and hilarious experience.
Jimbo shares insights on standout queens from
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Season 16, praising their styles and performances.
The contestants highlighted by Jimbo include Sapphira Cristál, Plane Jane, Dawn, and Nymphia Wind, each bringing unique qualities to the show.

Jimbo first joined the world of RuPaul’s Drag Race in Drag Race Canada. She immediately made her mark on the show thanks to her comedic timing and ginormous breastplate. She didn’t take home the crown at that time, but the viewers watching fell in love with her wit and unique brand of humor. Mama Ru, a.k.a. RuPaul Charles, brought Jimbo back to the franchise in RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs. The World. There, Jimbo was a force to be reckoned with. She started the season with a bang, introducing the world to a new character of hers, Casper. Casper’s unique look, combined with a unique, albeit perplexing, penchant for baloney, was incredibly engaging to see. It was unlike anything seen yet on Drag Race, as a matter of fact, and was officially approved the second Ru’s signature laugh began to ring out throughout the main stage. Jimbo did well in UK vs. The World but created controversy when she eliminated Pangina Heals, a queen from Thailand who was a major competitor in the reality show.

The move ultimately backfired, and she was eliminated shortly after. Jimbo returned to the franchise in the eighth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. This meant that viewers who didn’t have a World of Wonder subscription were introduced to Jimbo for the first time. It was in All Stars 8 that Jimbo truly shined. After winning the title of Queen of All Queens, Jimbo turned her focus to her tour of Jimbo’s Drag Circus, which began on February 29th. Jimbo is currently in the midst of an international tour, which is unlike any drag show lovers of the art form have seen before. It’s rare for a queen from Drag Race to do a show not in conjunction with other queens from the series, but Jimbo accomplishes this deftly. The show itself is a wild ride, with a psychedelic but creepily hilarious set design that tells the audience exactly what they’re about to experience. Collider had the opportunity to speak with Jimbo, whose name is James Insell, when he’s not in drag, about the tour and his thoughts on the current queens vying for the crown in Season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

RuPaul’s Drag Race RuPaul searches for America’s next drag superstar.Release Date February 2, 2009 Cast RuPaul , Michelle Visage , Jason Carter , Carson Kressley Seasons 16

‘Jimbo’s Drag Circus’ Is a Hilarious Love Letter to Drag

When people hear the word clown, images of scary clowns like the one from It or the Bozo the Clown come to mind. What many do not understand is that clowning is a theatrical art form that goes back centuries, as seen in Commedia dell’arte and other unique forms of clowning. Technically, it goes back even further, all the way to the theaters of Ancient Greece through performers known as satyrs, Greek comedians who were intermediaries that engaged in extremely lewd humor and slapstick comedy. James has a deep understanding of the art form, being a trained performer himself. He shared, “I love clowning. It’s all about a connection with your audience, and it’s really about learning and listening to what your audience wants through laughter and applause and really just going there. While, at the same time, kind of getting yourself off and going with your “worst ideas,” as we like to say. You just go in with the intention of being a conduit for the joy or energy of the audience. You really just are in service of the audience.”

Jimbo’s Drag Circus embraces all of that as he blends her knowledge of the art form with drag, providing a sense of childlike whimsy through a very adult performance. Unlike most drag shows, which focus on flips, kicks, and fierce lip-syncs, Jimbo’s Drag Circus is a theatrical experience, from the meticulously designed set to the storyline built around the show. James said of the creation process, “I’m a, a long-time theater performer and designer, and um, I’ve basically collaborated with, um, friends and colleagues over the years on this show. So it’s the culmination of years of hard work, artistry, money, and time. So I’m super proud of it, and everyone’s coming and just getting blown away by the style and awesomeness.”

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The storyline comprises characters that Jimbo debuted on Drag Race, including Casper. When talking about the Casper character, James said, “I love my Casper character. [It] is a bouffant style of clown, which is about grotesque shapes and about being a little bit dark and, it’s also very much about humanity.” Jimbo’s Drag Circus is a truly memorable and interactive experience. And the word interactive is not hyperbole. Jimbo plays with the audience throughout the show. Fellow Drag Race queen Alyssa Edwards, whose name is Justin Johnson out of drag, experienced this firsthand during her Dallas performance. Jimbo approached Justin, who was seated far back in the audience during the show. As much as he tried, he could not avoid the messy surprise Jimbo had for him. Needless to say, Justin was a little displeased, and he and his friends quickly worked to get the mess off his clothes. He was ultimately a good sport, even joining her on stage at the end of the show. Overall, Jimbo’s Drag Circus does stupid, silly humor in an incredibly smart way. It’s a gut-busting psychedelic roller coaster ride that everyone should experience at least once. Jimbo’s talent and ability to take humor and take the stupid and turn it into smart humor is something that is a skill that is not easy to develop.

Jimbo’s Picks On ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 16

The Drag Circus tour has kept James very busy, but he has gotten to see a little bit of the current season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. The tour has kept her busy, so she has not been able to indulge in every episode, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t notice some of the standout queens. When asked about her thoughts on the new queens, she shared, “You know, every time [there’s] a new Drag Race season, you really get a chance to see what’s going on out there and what we haven’t seen so far yet. I met Dawn when I was in New York. I love [her] anime style also that kind of unpredictability that comes with one of those characters that likes to try and experiment with all kinds of things. I feel like Dawn’s a really awesome combination of fashion and camp and kooky weirdness, which I love. She also added, “Nymphia, I’ve loved her looks. I think I’ve followed a little bit of her on Instagram, and the level of detail, craftsmanship, and artistry in her drag is just so next level. It’s really just beautiful. I was really impressed with her. And Sapphira Cristal is so beautiful. just that awesome boss energy. She’s just totally in control and an amazing performer. And Plane Jane, I got lots of like questions and people saying like, ‘Oh, how do you feel about her?’ I think she’s hilarious and making amazing TV… So, yeah. I think it’s just an awesome season.”

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It’s no surprise that these queens stand out to Jimbo. Sapphira Cristál is a knowledgeable queen. Plane Jane is smart enough to blend beauty with stupidity properly. And Dawn has a quirky sense of style. Nymphia Wind has always stood out due to her ability to never miss her fashion on the runway. She even showcased Japanese butoh in one of the runways on the main stage, bringing a sense of theatrical art and culture to the show. Of the queens Jimbo mentioned, Dawn was most recently eliminated after a poor performance in the main challenge and a lip sync to Megan Thee Stallion’s song “Body” that she stood no chance of winning; especially when lipsyncing against Morphine, a queen who quite literally embodies the song. Jimbo has a keen eye for front-runners, and time will tell who will go home with the crown this season.

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 airs weekly on MTV at 8:00 PM ET 7:00 PM CT. All seasons of All Stars are available for streaming on Paramount Plus. Watch on MTV