We’ve got some sad — but also somehow fabulous — news: Jiggly Caliente, queen of fierceness and iconic side-eye, has sadly sashayed away from this world at the age of 44.
Her family dropped the emotional bombshell just days after revealing that Jiggly had been battling a brutal infection and had lost part of her leg. Now, in true diva fashion, she decided it was time to tap out and head to the biggest runway in the sky, leaving us all down here looking real crusty by comparison.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Bianca Castro-Arabejo, known to the world and cherished by many as Jiggly Caliente,” her family wrote, probably while ugly crying and rewatching Drag Race lip syncs.
They went on to say Jiggly passed peacefully at 4:42 a.m. (which honestly sounds like the exact time drag queens are just getting home from the club, so fitting), surrounded by people who loved her and didn’t deserve to lose such a literal ray of glittery sunshine.
Jiggly wasn’t just a performer; she was a walking serotonin boost. A human glitter cannon. A fierce advocate for the LGBTQ+ community who slayed hearts with her humor, her realness, and her ability to make a whole room go YASSSS at the drop of a stiletto.
She’s gone, yes — but the gag is, her vibe is gonna linger like glitter after Pride. You think you cleaned it all up, but boom — she’s still here.
In the world’s group chat, fellow queens immediately flooded the comments with messages of heartbreak:
– Jessica Wild basically summed up all our feelings: “This hurts like a bad lace front, but we’ll love you forever, sis.”
– Morphine Love Dion is still crying somewhere and, honestly, same.
– Jackie Cox dropped the universally accepted heartbreak emoji combo: 💔🕊️
– Courtney Act kept it simple with a love bomb: “Love you, Jiggles.” (Please note: only Courtney Act could make “Jiggles” sound tender.)
– Ongina said what we’re all thinking: “Love you forever.” Brb, sobbing into my rhinestone pillow.
– Kerri Colby and Deja Skye also sent major hugs and heavenly butterfly emojis, because when drag queens mourn, they do it with ✨extra✨.
For the uninitiated (what rock have you been living under?), Jiggly first busted onto our screens during RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 4 back in 2012, instantly winning hearts with her humor, heart, and unmatched ability to survive ANY challenge — except sewing challenges… but hey, relatable.
She came out publicly as a trans woman in 2016 (QUEEN BEHAVIOR), returned for All Stars 6 to show us how much she had leveled up, and then sprinkled her stardust on shows like Pose and Drag Race Philippines, where she sat on the judging panel serving both looks and life lessons.
Honestly, Earth feels about 75% less fabulous without her right now.
We love you forever, Jiggly.
Now go snatch those heavenly crowns, queen. 👑✨
