Acid Betty

Acid Betty
Acid Betty in 2019
Born
Jamin Ruhren

(1977-12-10) December 10, 1977 (age 48)
Riverside, California, U.S.
Occupations
Years active2006–present
TelevisionRuPaul's Drag Race (season 8) and RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 10)
Websiteacidbetty.com

Jamin Ruhren (born December 10, 1977), better known by the stage name Acid Betty, is an American drag queen, performer, actor and singer. He rose to national prominence after competing on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2016 and the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars in 2025.

Early life

Jamin Ruhren was born on December 10, 1977, in Riverside, California. He is Jewish.

As a child, Ruhren's first experience with drag came during a practical joke in which he posed as his sister's "cousin from out of town", using her cheerleader pompoms as improvised hair and breasts. He later recalled that the experience made him realize he could convincingly present as female, joking that he looked like "a fat Raggedy Ann".

At age 17, Ruhren attended his first drag club, where he saw future RuPaul's Drag Race winner Raja perform.

Career

Early career

Ruhren became active in New York City's drag scene, where veteran drag performer Sherry Vine became his drag mother. Ruhren later recalled spending time with Vine and her social circle before becoming her drag daughter.

Before appearing on RuPaul's Drag Race, Ruhren was featured as a guest in a 2008 episode of Project Runway, on which RuPaul served as the guest judge.

The following year, Ruhren appeared in the film An Englishman in New York with John Hurt. She next appeared alongside Bianca Del Rio, Mimi Imfurst, and Peppermint in the 2010 eight-part web documentary Queens of Drag: NYC.

In 2011, Ruhren served as ringmaster for Lincoln Center's "Rock and Roll Circus".

RuPaul's Drag Race

Ruhren was announced to be one of twelve competing on season eight of RuPaul's Drag Race on February 1, 2016. She was eliminated in episode five after performing badly on the annual snatch game challenge, and later losing a lip sync to Madonna's "Causing a Commotion" against Naomi Smalls.

After the show, Ruhren made a cameo appearance in The Path in 2018. In July 2020, Ruhren was featured in Drive N' Drag, a drive-in drag show. In April 2025, Acid Betty was announced as one of eighteen former Drag Race contestants competing in the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. She was eliminated at the end of her bracket, not making it to the semi finals.

Music

Acid Betty, 2017

In November 2011, Ruhren appeared in the music video for Cazwell's "Unzip Me". Ruhren released her first single, "Ruthless", on March 1, 2012. Her second single, "Fantasy", was released on May 15, 2016. The music video features season eight finalists Kim Chi and Bob the Drag Queen. A third single, "Acid (Drop)", was available three days later.

Personal life

Ruhren is based in Monroe County, Pennsylvania

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role
2009 An Englishman in New York Herself

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2008 Project Runway Herself Guest (season five)
2016 RuPaul's Drag Race (season 8) Contestant (8th Place)
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked (season 7)
2018 The Path Season 3, Episode 8: "The Door"
2020 Tales from the Trip Episode 35: "Acid Betty"
2025 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 10) Contestant (11th Place)
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked! (season 7)

Music videos

Year Title Artist Ref.
2011 "Unzip Me" Cazwell
2012 "Ruthless" Herself

Web series

Year Title Role Ref.
2010 Queens of Drag: NYC Herself
2016 RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked
Bus Buddies
2018 Out of the Closet
Hey Qween!
2020 The Pit Stop

Discography

Singles

Year Title
2012 "Ruthless"
2016 "Fantasy"
"Acid (Drop)"

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hegedus, Eric (March 7, 2016). "RuPaul still reigns supreme as 'Drag Race' hits 100 episodes". New York Post. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  2. ↑ "5 Jewish drag queens slaying the competition". The Jerusalem Post. June 9, 2017. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  3. ↑ "VIDEO INTERVIEW – Acid Betty talks about RuPaul's Drag Race and Big Brother". GayCalgary Online. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Who's Meaner than Acid Betty? Spilling on her Drag Mom Sherry Vine..." Hey Qween!. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Project Runway: Stream of Consciousness Recap – Ep. 6". Flamingo Musings. 2008-08-21. Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  6. ↑ "RuPaul Is Returning To "Project Runway" | NewNowNext". www.newnownext.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  7. ↑ "Queens of Drag: NYC". www.outwordmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  8. ↑ "Inside The Downtown Celebrity Known As Acid Betty". www.villagevoice.com. 28 January 2010. Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  9. ↑ Aleksander, Irina (2011-01-05). "Rock and Roll Circus Is a Tight Squeeze: Scene City". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  10. ↑ Avery 1/14/2016, Dan. "The Cast Of "RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 8 Will Be Announced At New Now Next Honors | NewNowNext". www.newnownext.com. Archived from the original on 2023-04-15. Retrieved 2019-06-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Allen, Timothy (2016-02-01). "Meet The Queens Of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 8". www.queerty.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  12. ↑ Nichols, James Michael (2016-04-05). "Acid Betty Reflects On Her Time On 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 2020-08-22. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  13. ↑ Moylan, Brian (4 April 2016). "RuPaul's Drag Race Recap: Snatch Me If You Can". www.vulture.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  14. ↑ "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 8, Episode 5: Acid Betty Fails to Impress". www.crossmap.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  15. ↑ Gore, Father (2018-02-22). "The Path – Season 3, Episode 8: "The Door"". Father Son Holy Gore. Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  16. ↑ Romano, Andrea (July 14, 2020). "This Drive-in Drag Show Is Bringing America's Drag Superstars to a Parking Lot Near You". Travel and Leisure. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  17. ↑ Nolfi, Joey (April 23, 2025). "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10 cast announced with major format change: See 18 returning queens on largest cast ever". Deadline. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  18. ↑ Guzzo, Bianca (27 June 2025). "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 10 Episode 9 Recap: The Golden Bitchelor". IN Magazine. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  19. ↑ Peace Bisquit (2011-11-20), CAZWELL & PEACHES "Unzip Me" Official video directed by Bec Stupak, archived from the original on 2019-06-20, retrieved 2019-06-07
  20. ↑ Ruthless - Single by Acid Betty & Brittany Campbell, archived from the original on 2021-12-03, retrieved 2019-06-07
  21. ↑ Fantasy (feat. Brittany Campbell & Mathenee Treco) - Single by Acid Betty, archived from the original on 2021-12-03, retrieved 2019-06-07
  22. ↑ Acid Betty (2016-04-04), fantasy, archived from the original on 2021-01-06, retrieved 2019-06-07
  23. ↑ Acid (Drop!) [feat. Brittany Campbell & Mathenee Treco] - Single by Acid Betty, archived from the original on 2021-12-03, retrieved 2019-06-07
  24. ↑ byJaminDesign (2012-03-01), Acid Betty's Ruthless, archived from the original on 2019-04-08, retrieved 2019-06-07
  25. ↑ Gay DotCom (2010-10-13), Acid Betty/Epiphany, Queens of Drag: NYC Ep5, archived from the original on 2023-04-15, retrieved 2019-08-30
  26. ↑ WOWPresents (2016-03-08), Untucked: RuPaul's Drag Race Season 8 - Episode 1 "Keeping It 100!", archived from the original on 2020-08-31, retrieved 2019-08-30
  27. ↑ Logo (2016-03-09), Bus Buddies: Acid Betty & Robbie Turner | RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 8) | Logo, archived from the original on 2020-11-20, retrieved 2019-09-22
  28. ↑ "Acid Betty Shows Off Her Fantasy-Filled Drag Lair In "Out Of The Closet" | NewNowNext". www.newnownext.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  29. ↑ Hey Qween (2018-03-27), ACID BETTY on Look At Huh! - Part 1 | Hey Qween, archived from the original on 2020-03-01, retrieved 2019-06-07
  30. ↑ Voss, Brandon (2020-03-21). "Acid Betty Has Thoughts on This Week's "Drag Race"". NewNowNext.com. Archived from the original on 2020-03-21. Retrieved 2020-03-21.