SHANGELA

Actor, Drag Superstar, & Co-Host of HBO’s “We’re Here”

Actor and Performer, D.J. “Shangela” Pierce, currently stars as a co-host of the Emmy-winning HBO series “We’re Here”. The unscripted series recruits small-town residents across America to participate in a one-night-only drag show along with renowned drag queens Bob the Drag Queen and Eureka O’Hara. Winner of Outstanding Reality Program at the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards, the series is currently airing its third season. Shangela recently competed as a finalist on the hit Disney+ series “Dancing with the Stars” making history as the first drag queen ever cast on the U.S. version and the first male performer to be partnered with a male professional dancer. Shangela recently performed her 10-city “Fully Lit Tour,” produced by Live Nation. Her last tour consisted of a massive 184+ city international run, where she performed her comedy and cabaret act to sold out audiences around the world.

Shangela has performed on six of the seven continents and is recognized as the first contestant to compete on three separate seasons of the Emmy award-winning reality series “Rupaul's Drag Race.” Shangela has also guest starred on myriad network television series including "Glee,” “The Mentalist,” “X-Files,” and “Katy Keene” and has appeared in several feature films, including A Star Is Born with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Scheduled for release later this year, Shangela recently completed filming Lone Star Bull, opposite Luke MacFarlane, a film about a former military man who bounces at a nightclub where a medical student performs as a drag queen. When the club’s owner is shot in what appears to be a homophobic attack, the two form an unlikely duo to find those responsible and seek justice.

In 2019, Shangela was recognized as part of the prestigious TIME 100 Next List and named one of “The Most Powerful Drag Queens in America” by New York Magazine.

D.J. remains involved with various charities, including his own Feed The Queens initiative. In addition to his philanthropic efforts, D.J. was the keynote speaker and performer at the SMU LGBTQ Symposium, which provides a platform to spotlight the voices, experiences, research, and creativity of the LGBT community on campus and beyond.

A native of Paris, Texas, Pierce graduated with honors from Southern Methodist University and currently resides in Los Angeles.