Violet Chachki

Violet Chachki is the stage name of Paul Jason Dardo, an American drag queen, burlesque dancer, recording artist, reality television personality and model. Chachki is best known for winning the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Dardo began performing drag as Violet Chachki at the age of 19. The name "Violet" refers to Jennifer Tilly's character in the film Bound, while "Chachki" is a variant of the Yiddish word tchotchke, a small object that is decorative rather than functional. Dardo first performed at the bar LeBuzz in Marietta, Georgia. They used a fake ID to perform in local drag shows, eventually winning Miss New Faces at Friends on Ponce in Atlanta. Later, the drag queen and Drag Race Season 8 contestant Dax ExclamationPoint adopted Dardo as her drag daughter. Dardo was enrolled at SCAD-Atlanta for fashion design, but dropped out to focus on drag. They became a regular cast member of The Other Show at the bar Jungle in Atlanta which gave them exposure locally and allowed them to perform with Drag Race Season 5 contestant Alaska Thunderfuck 5000, Amanda Lepore, and Lady Bunny.

In 2013, Dardo was photographed for "Legendary Children". The project focused on Atlanta's drag scene and was exhibited at Gallery 1526. Two photos that featured their penis and gaff (an undergarment used to conceal male genitals when in drag) were covered up after complaints. Later, the censorship controversy caught the attention of Vice.

In 2014, Dardo appeared on the cover for the single "Cosplay" by Captain Murphy (AKA Flying Lotus). They also appeared in a commercial for the single on Adult Swim. Flying Lotus recorded the song as Captain Murphy for Adult Swim's Single Series.

On December 7, 2014, Dardo was revealed as a cast member on seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Dardo had auditioned for season six, but was unsuccessful. On the show, Dardo was noted for their focus on aesthetics and confident demeanor. During the show, Chachki won three challenges and became the latest in a handful of contestants in the show's history to make it to the finale without ever being in the bottom two.

On June 1, Dardo was crowned "America's Next Drag Superstar" and received a cash prize of $100,000.

On June 2, 2015, Dardo released the lead single from their upcoming EP, "Bettie". Their debut EP Gagged was released on June 30, 2015.

Sometime before being crowned Season 7's winner, Dardo's pornographic past was brought to light, with several websites publishing a solo video of Dardo. There was no backlash or negative reaction when the video surfaced.

In January 2017, legendary burlesque star Dita Von Teese announced Violet Chachki as part the cast of her show The Art of the Teese in Chicago, Dallas, and Houston.

Dardo attended St. Pius X Catholic High School, where they would alter their strict Catholic uniform to meet personal preferences. In fact, Dardo has mentioned several times that this was how they learned to sew. They lived in Atlanta for the majority of their life. After graduating high school, they attended SCAD Atlanta before dropping out to perform as Violet Chachki full-time. Violet is half Ecuadorian.

Dardo has a strong relationship with the "Legendary Children" of Atlanta, whom they have called their "drag family." This family includes Dax Exclamationpoint, who is Violet's drag mother. Other known social-media performers from the family include Evah Destruction and Brigitte Bidet.

Dardo identifies as genderfluid and has no preferred pronoun.

EPs

Singles

Other appearances

Television

Web series

Music videos