Coco Montrese | |
---|---|
Born |
Martin Cooper July 2, 1974 Miami, Florida |
Alma mater | Alabama State |
Occupation | Drag queen |
Known for | RuPaul's Drag Race season 5 |
Title | Miss Gay America 2010 |
Coco Montrese (born July 2, 1974) is the stage name of Martin Cooper, an African-American drag queen, entertainer, and reality television personality. Montrese came into the spotlight after being crowned Miss Gay America 2010 when Alyssa Edwards' title was revoked. She subsequently appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race season 5 as well as RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars Season 2.
Montrese was born on July 2, 1974 in Miama, Florida. She grew up in a "very religious home" as the son of a Pentecostal pastor. Montrese studied theater and education at Alabama State.
Montrese became interested in drag around age 19 or 20 and was named by her drag mother Mokha Montrese. She entered pageantry, eventually becoming runner up in the 2010 Miss Gay America pageant. The titleholder, Alyssa Edwards, was stripped of her crown for conflicting business dealings. On February 27, 2010, Montrese was then crowned as Miss Gay America 2010.
Before appearing on RuPaul's Drag Race, Montrese worked at Disneyworld for 11 years as an entertainer for the Phantasmic show. Working there allowed her to be able to work during the day and do drag during the evenings. She then moved to Las Vegas, where she appeared in a number of shows as a Janet Jackson impersonator.
Montrese applied just once for RuPaul's Drag Race and was accepted for their fifth season as one of fourteen constestants. The show aired January 28, 2013 and completed May 6, 2013. During the show, Montrese was criticized for her orange makeup, which inspired many internet memes. She fell into the bottom four times, eventually sending her "arch rival" Alyssa Edwards home during their lipsync. Montrese ended up being sent home by Detox Icunt the next week, garnering a fifth place finish.Jinkx Monsoon ended up winning the competition.