Loosey LaDuca is the stage name of Timothy P. Rinaldi,[3] an American drag performer who is best known for competing on the fifteenth season of the television series RuPaul's Drag Race. Rinaldi is from Ansonia, Connecticut, and was a construction worker before appearing on Drag Race.

Loosey LaDuca
Photograph of someone on a pink runway, wearing an outfit which is black on the bottom half and has an animal print on the top half; she has multiple tattoos and is holding a small stuffed dog in one of her hands
Loosey LaDuca at RuPaul's DragCon LA, 2023
Born
Timothy P. Rinaldi

April 20, 1989 or 1990 (age 33–34)[1][2]
Occupations
TelevisionRuPaul's Drag Race (season 15)

Loosey LaDuca's original song "Let Loose", which debuted on the show, went viral and received a remix featuring Jan Sport and Lemon. The show was edited to characterize Loosey LaDuca as argumentative toward the judges and difficult with her costars. Although critics described her as one of the show's most-memorable contestants, she was not selected as a finalist for the season, a decision with which she disagreed.

Early life, education, and early career edit

Timothy Rinaldi is from Ansonia, Connecticut, and was born in 1989 or 1990.[1] He attended Ansonia Middle School and high school, where he participated in musical theater.[1] Rinaldi worked as a construction worker in Ansonia.[4][5] After portraying one of Cinderella's sisters in a production of Cinderella at Downtown Cabaret Theater in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Rinaldi realized he "had what it took to be a drag queen". He has since performed in many drag brunch shows.[1]

RuPaul's Drag Race and "Let Loose" edit

Rinaldi competed as Loosey LaDuca on the fifteenth season of the American television show RuPaul's Drag Race. She debuted the original song "Let Loose" during the variety show.[4] According to Stephan Daw of Billboard, "Let Loose" went "ultra-viral" following Loosey LaDuca's talent-show performance.[6] Bernardo Sim of Out said the song became "a huge viral hit".[7] Loosey LaDuca released a remix of the song that features Jan Sport and Lemon.[4]

Loosey LaDuca also impersonated Dolly Parton and Joan Rivers on Drag Race; she was declared a winner in the fourth and eleventh ("Two Queens, One Joke") episodes, and placed in the bottom two in the twelfth and thirteenth episodes.[5] Kevin Bacon praised Loosey LaDuca for her performance in Wigloose: The Rusical!, a parody of the 1984 film Footloose.[8] In her first lip-sync, she defeated Salina EsTitties to Kate Bush's song "Running Up That Hill" (1985).[9] She was eliminated from the competition after losing a lip-sync to "For the Girls" by Hayley Kiyoko against Luxx Noir London.[5]

Paper magazine's Sanda Song said Loosey LaDuca is "one of season 15's most memorable contestants—and for good reason",[10] and Cameron Scheetz of Queerty said she "gave us nothing but real: Real emotion, real drama, real star-power, and real good reality television".[11] Sim included LaDuca in a 2023 list of ten contestants who received a "delusional" edit on Drag Race and wrote, "Throughout the edit of the show, LaDuca was shown passionately disagreeing with the judges, arguing with other queens over who got second and third top placements, and seemingly not understanding when her costars were just kidding around."[12] Writing for Pride.com, Sim said, "There's absolutely no way that someone can walk away from watching season 15 without remembering how LaDuca was portrayed on the show."[7] Loosey LaDuca has said she felt "robbed" and had earned a spot as a finalist.[13]

Personal life edit

Loosey LaDuca uses the pronouns she/her while in drag; her persona is based on Lucille Ball and the LaDuca dance shoes worn by members of the precision dance company The Rockettes. In addition to her characterizations on Drag Race, Loosey LaDuca has impersonated Cyndi Lauper and Madonna.[1]

Discography edit

Singles edit

List of singles, showing the year released, and album name
Title Year Album
"Let Loose" 2023
"Let Loose (remix)" (featuring Jan & Lemon)

As a featured artist edit

Title Year Album Ref.
"One Night Only"
(with the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, season 15)
2023 [14]
"Golden Hips (Ol' Dirty Bitches)"
(with Robin Fierce, Jax, and Anetra)
[15]
"Wigloose: The Rusical!"
(with the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, season 15)
Wigloose: The Rusical! Album [16]

Filmography edit

Television edit

List of television credits
Year Title Role Ref.
2022 RuPaul's Drag Race (season 15) Herself/Contestant [17]
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked

Web series edit

Year Title Role Notes Ref
2023 Meet the Queens Herself Stand-alone special
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15
[18]
2023 EW News Flash Herself Guest [19][20]
2023 BuzzFeed Celeb Herself Guest [21]
2023 MTV News Herself Guest [22]
2023 Today with Hoda and Jenna Herself Guest [23]
2023 Drip or Drop Herself Guest [24]
2023 Whatcha Packin' Herself Guest [25]
2023 Squirrel Friends Herself Guest; Podcast [26]
2023 Glam Slam Herself Contestant [27]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Martinez, Eddy (December 26, 2022). "Ansonia drag queen set to appear on RuPaul's Drag Race". Connecticut Post. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  2. ^ @looseyladuca (April 20, 2016). "I turned 100 years old today. Acid peels do WONDERS. 🎂🎉🎈💀" – via Instagram.
  3. ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15 Cast Ru-Vue Part 4". Happening Digital. 1 (9): 69. January 2023. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "5 Surprising Things Loosey LaDuca Revealed Post-'Drag Race' Exit". Pride.com. Here Media. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Last CT drag queen standing, Loosey LaDuca, sashays away on 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". Hartford Courant. Tribune Publishing. March 27, 2023. ISSN 1047-4153. OCLC 8807834. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  6. ^ Daw, Stephen (March 28, 2023). "'RuPaul's Drag Race': Loosey LaDuca Still Isn't Over the 'Actually Crazy' Virality of 'Let Loose'". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Sim, Bernardo (April 18, 2023). "Every 'Drag Race' Season 15 Controversy & Yes, There Were A Lot!". Pride.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  8. ^ Nolfi, Joey (March 20, 2023). "'Footloose' star Kevin Bacon praises 'Drag Race' Rusical 'Wigloose,' slams anti-drag politics". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  9. ^ Duncan, Charlie (March 28, 2023). "Loosey LaDuca speaks out on 'devastating' Drag Race exit: 'I did feel robbed'". PinkNews. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  10. ^ Song, Sandra (March 28, 2023). "Loosey LaDuca Wants To Build Bridges". Paper. ISSN 1073-9122. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  11. ^ Scheetz, Cameron (March 28, 2023). "Loosey LaDuca on memes, tools, and why letting loose with emotion on 'Drag Race' paid off". Queerty. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  12. ^ "10 'Drag Race' Queens Who Got a 'Delusional' Edit On the Show". Out. ISSN 1062-7928. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  13. ^ Nolfi, Joey (March 27, 2023). "'Drag Race' star Loosey LaDuca opens up about 'devastating' exit". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  14. ^ The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race (January 7, 2023). "One Night Only". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  15. ^ The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race (February 4, 2023). "Golden Girlfriends (Banjo Bitches)". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  16. ^ The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race (March 18, 2023). "Wigloose: The Rusical!". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  17. ^ Mitchell, Harriet (December 13, 2022). "RuPaul's Drag Race makes history with cast announcement for season 15". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  18. ^ MEET THE QUEENS OF SEASON 15! 🚘 | RuPaul's Drag Race 👠✨. YouTube. December 13, 2022. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  19. ^ 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 15 Cast Promise "Unhinged" Drama and Twists Ahead | Entertainment Weekly. YouTube. January 6, 2023. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  20. ^ Loosey LaDuca Talks Weaponizing Her BFA on 'Drag Race' | Entertainment Weekly. YouTube. December 20, 2022. Archived from the original on January 4, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  21. ^ The Queens Of "RuPaul's Drag Race 15" Play Who's Who. YouTube. January 10, 2023. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  22. ^ 15 Things That Could Use a Touch of Drag w/ RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15 Cast | MTV News. YouTube. January 12, 2023. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  23. ^ The cast of 'Drag Race' season 15 talk life as 'Ru Girls' and give their best impersonations. YouTube. January 28, 2023. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  24. ^ Ru Paul's Drag Race Queens Rate ICONIC Fits From Other Seasons | Drip or Drop | Cosmopolitan. YouTube. February 4, 2023. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  25. ^ Whatcha Packin' 💝 S15 E13 | RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15 👠✨. YouTube. March 24, 2023. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  26. ^ Blaming It On The Edit with Trixie Mattel & Loosey LaDuca. podcasts.apple.com. April 7, 2023. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  27. ^ @rupaulsdragrace (November 17, 2023). "With competition this stiff, these queens need to be prepped for ANYTHING" – via Instagram.

External links edit