Shea Coulee
USAShea Couleé: A Trailblazing Drag Icon
Early Life and EducationJaren K. Merrell, known professionally as Shea Couleé, was born in Warsaw, Indiana, and raised in Plainfield, Illinois. They are the youngest of five children born to Marilyn Elaine Merrell, who was a minister. In 2011, Couleé graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in Costume Design, having been a Ten Square honoree in their sophomore year and head designer for Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale" in their senior year. Couleé has performed in theater since the age of nine.
Drag Race and Career
After five auditions, one each year since they began doing drag, Couleé was cast as one of 14 queens on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. They gained notoriety after impersonating Naomi Campbell in the Snatch Game challenge, with Campbell herself tweeting in approval. Couleé won their first challenge in the fourth episode alongside Sasha Velour, then won again in the next episode for their portrayal of Blac Chyna in "Kardashians: The Musical." Couleé won yet another challenge in the ninth episode, "Your Pilot's on Fire," again with Sasha Velour. In the following episode, "Makeover: Crew Better Work," Couleé lipsynced for their life against Nina Bo'Nina Brown, sending her home to Demi Lovato's "Cool for the Summer." Couleé won again during "The Most Electrifying Ball in Herstory" after creating a look inspired by the Village People's "construction man."
In the penultimate episode of the season, the final four queens wrote, recorded, danced, and performed a verse in RuPaul's "Category Is" with choreography by Todrick Hall. All four queens made it to the finale, where Couleé received a personalized video message from Blac Chyna, whom they had impersonated earlier in the "Reality Stars: Ru Ha Has" competition. In their finale, Drag Race made history by having all four queens lipsync for the crown for the first time. Couleé was chosen to lipsync against Sasha Velour to Whitney Houston's "So Emotional," but ultimately lost. They shared a joint third/fourth place finish. Couleé's loss was controversial, with many people arguing that they should have won the crown. Couleé herself responded to the controversy by defending Velour's win, saying, "At the end of the day, Sasha slayed me and the rest of the girls."
After their surprising loss, Couleé and the other Season 9 queens were met with a store protest in Newcastle in April 2018, where a man initially shouted and then attempted to punch the non-winning queens. Due to their loss in Season 9, fans rallied for Couleé to compete on an All Star season.
On May 8, 2020, Couleé was announced as a cast member on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. They won the second episode, paying homage to their heritage against Lipsync Assassin Alyssa Edwards to The Pointer Sisters' "Neutron Dance" and earning a $20,000 prize. Couleé won again during the fifth episode's "Snatch Game of Love" challenge, where they portrayed Flavor Flav. They lipsynced to Madonna's "Open Your Heart" against Vanessa Vanjie Mateo and won. In the grand finale episode, Couleé and the other finalists Jujubee and Miz Cracker recorded, danced, and performed a verse in RuPaul's "Clapback" with choreography by Todrick Hall. After lipsyncing to Janelle Monáe's "Make Me Feel," Couleé was crowned the winner of All Stars 5.
In April 2022, Couleé was announced as one of eight returning winners who would compete on the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, the first-ever season of Drag Race to feature an all-winners cast. Throughout the competition, they won the first and eleventh challenges and ultimately finished in 3/4th place.
Music and Other Ventures
In 2016, Couleé was featured in Glossed and Found magazine. In May 2017, Couleé performed as part of the Werq the World Tour 2017. The tour was produced by Bianca Del Rio and Michelle Visage and included fellow drag queens Alaska Thunderfuck, Alyssa Edwards, Detox, Latrice Royale, and Violet Chachki. Couleé co-produced, directed, and starred in their own film "Lipstick City" in July 2017. Couleé also released three music videos in promotion of their debut EP, Couleé-D. They co-directed the music videos and co-produced the EP. Azealia Banks and Couleé announced plans to release a collaborative studio project, but the partnership never came to fruition after Banks ghosted Couleé.
Personal Life
Merrell identifies as gay and non-binary, using they/them pronouns when out of drag and she/her pronouns when in drag. They have struggled with bulimia in the past. In 2018, Couleé received corrective dental surgery that they had wanted since they were a teenager.
They have three drag daughters: Kenzie Couleé, Bambi-Banks Couleé, whom they welcomed into their family in 2018, and Chloe Couleé, who they publicly announced as their newest drag daughter on June 12, 2020. Shea, Kenzie, Bambi, and Chloe make up the current members of Shea's drag house, Maison Couleé.
They have named Naomi Campbell, Grace Jones, Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Josephine Baker, Diana Ross, and Stevie Wonder as their personal icons and influences.
