''RuPaul's Drag Race'' After auditioning five times, every year since they started doing drag Shea Couleé became one of 14 queens to compete on the
ninth season of ''
RuPaul's Drag Race''. After portraying Naomi Campbell in the
Snatch Game challenge, Campbell tweeted Shea Couleé in approval. Shea Couleé won their first challenge in the fourth episode, alongside Sasha Velour. They again won the following episode, portraying
Blac Chyna for "Kardashians: The Musical". Shea Couleé won another challenge in the ninth episode, "Your Pilot's On Fire", again alongside Sasha Velour. In the following episode, "Makeover: Crew Better Work", Shea Couleé lip synced for their life against
Nina Bo'nina Brown, sending her home to
Demi Lovato's "
Cool for the Summer". Shea Couleé won once again during the season's "Gayest Ball Ever", after creating a look inspired by the
Village People's "construction worker". In the season's finale, the final four queens all participated in a "lip sync for the crown", a new format for the show. Shea Couleé was selected to lipsync against Sasha Velour, to
Whitney Houston's "
So Emotional", but lost. They ultimately placed in joint third/fourth place. Shea Couleé's loss was met with controversy, with many people claiming that she should have won the crown. Shea Couleé themself responded to the controversy, defending Velour's win, and saying "Ultimately Sasha was more successful than myself and the other girls." On May 8, 2020, Shea Couleé was announced as a contestant on the fifth series of ''
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars''. Shea Couleé won again during the
Snatch Game of Love challenge on episode five, portraying
Flavor Flav. They lipsynced against
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo to
Madonna's "
Open Your Heart" and won. On the grand finale episode, Shea Couleé, along with fellow finalists
Jujubee and
Miz Cracker, recorded, danced, and performed a verse in RuPaul's "Clapback", choreographed by Todrick Hall. After lipsyncing to
Janelle Monae's "
Make Me Feel", Shea Couleé was announced as the winner of All Stars 5. Throughout the competition, they won the first and eleventh challenges, and ultimately finished in 3rd/4th place.
Music and continued career In 2016, Shea Couleé was photographed for
Glossed and Found magazine. In May 2017, Shea Couleé performed as part of the Werq the World 2017 tour. Hosted by
Bianca Del Rio and
Michelle Visage, the tour featured drag queens
Alaska Thunderfuck,
Alyssa Edwards,
Detox,
Latrice Royale, and
Violet Chachki. Shea Couleé co-produced, directed, and starred in their own film
Lipstick City in July 2017. Shea Couleé also released three music videos to promote their debut EP,
Couleé-D. They co-directed the music videos, and co-produced the EP.
Azealia Banks and Shea Couleé announced plans to release a studio collaboration. The collaboration never came to fruition after Banks
ghosted Shea Couleé. At one point, they were asked to perform as a dancer in a burlesque show "Jeezy's Juke Joint". After an email mishap, they ended up performing a solo act for the show, their first time in drag. They have performed at various venues in Chicago, including Roscoe's, Berlin,
Double Door, and Hydrate. They also worked as a resident host at Smart Bar, and was a Co-Host for the Tony Soto Show. At one point, Shea Couleé competed in Miss Roscoe's Pageant. In April, Shea Couleé was featured in
Peppermint's
Too Funky music video. In April 2018, Shea Couleé premiered
Call Me Couleé, a web series documenting their life post
Drag Race. The series lasted six episodes, concluding on October 18, 2018. In September 2018, Shea Couleé performed as a background dancer for
Christina Aguilera for
Opening Ceremony's Spring 2019 collection, alongside other
Drag Race alumni. They were photographed with
Farrah Moan for
Manny MUA's
Lunar Beauty palette. In June 2018, Shea Couleé and
Drag Race alum
Asia O'Hara and
Monét X Change performed in
The Vixen's
Black Girl Magic, a drag show created to showcase the talent of black queens. In November, Shea Couleé was featured as a part of
Lush's "Merry DRAGMas" Campaign, alongside
Detox and
Kim Chi. In March 2019, they appeared in the music video for
Iggy Azalea's "
Sally Walker". The same month, they joined the
Drag World UK lineup, which began touring in June. In May, they were photographed with
Farrah Moan and
Violet Chachki for
Huda Beauty's new Setting Spray. On May 18, Shea Couleé re-released their song "Creme Brulee" as well as an accompanying music video. The song is inspired by other female rappers such as
Lil' Kim,
Nicki Minaj, and Azealia Banks. The song was originally written in 2013 and was the first song Shea Couleé ever wrote.
Billboard named "Creme Brulee" as the best Drag Music Video of 2018. In September, Shea Couleé released "Gasoline" a collaboration with Eddie Gessford, known professionally as GESS, who produced, co-wrote, and featured credit on the track. A month later in June, National Selfie Day, Shea Couleé was featured in Shawn Hollenbach's track "Double Filter Face", along with an accompanying music video. Shea Couleé was one of the Inspirations for Sina Grace's character of Shade,
Marvel's first drag queen superhero. Shea Couleé has embarked on several world tours following their success on
Drag Race including headlining the "War on the Catwalk" and "A Drag Queen Christmas", among others. Shea Couleé was added to the
Drag Race "Haters Roast: The Shady Tour" comedy tour with other Drag Race alumni in 2019. They also headlined a one-woman show in 2019, entitled "Couleé With A 'C'". An autobiographical show, it combined song, story, and comedy, revolving around their upbringing and how they got into drag. Shea Couleé's makeup and look transformations have been featured in publications such as
Cosmopolitan. In October, Shea Couleé published their first article for
Metro. In January 2020, Shea Couleé attended the first ever RuPaul's DragCon UK. In March 2020, Shea Couleé performed alongside fellow drag race alumni
BeBe Zahara Benet,
Bob The Drag Queen,
Mo Heart,
Peppermint, and
The Vixen in the
Nubia tour. The tour began its run with sold-out shows in New York City, and has plans to visit Los Angeles, as well as other major cities across the United States. In May 2020, Shea Couleé announced the release of Shea Coul-Alé, a beer in collaboration with DoStuff Media and
Goose Island Brewery as a part of their Drag a Beer campaign. A portion of all the profits went to an organization that supports individuals within the LGBTQ community. The following year, they launched another limited-edition beer with Goose Island, Shea Coul-Alé: Royal Edition, with an updated flavor palate, as well as their own exclusive burger. In October 2020, Shea Couleé was featured on the cover of
Out magazine, recreating
Cindy Crawford and
k.d. Lang's iconic
Vanity Fair cover. Later that month, they were a featured performer in
Rihanna's
Savage X Fenty Fashion Show Vol. 2. In November, Shea Couleé was recognised with the
GAY TIMES Honour for Drag Hero at the fourth annual
GAY TIMES Honours. They also featured as one of the cover stars for the magazine's Honours edition. In May 2021, Shea Couleé launched
Wanna Be On Top?, a biweekly podcast themed around ''
America's Next Top Model'' and discussing its impact on the art of drag. In an interview with
The Advocate, Shea Couleé announced that for the past three years, they have been working on an album. Shea Couleé currently has over 1.5 million
Instagram followers and is one of the few black Drag Race queens to reach the milestone. In May 2021, they were signed to
United Talent Agency. Later that month, they were a featured performer and host in
Klub Kids London Presents: NOIR: The Tour, where 25% of the proceeds from the production will be donated to the
Black Lives Matter movement. In October, they performed with
Heels of Hell through their eight-city Halloween tour. In August 2022, they were cast as
Slug in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ television series
Ironheart. ==Activism==