Tidicue was born on June 22, 1986 in Columbus, Georgia, and he was raised in Clayton County, Georgia. He explained, "You can call it the hood. You can say it. That’s where I’m from.” His mother owned a drag bar in Columbus, Georgia. On the nights that she could not afford a babysitter, she brought Tidicue to the drag bar, where he would work and collect money from the patrons. Tidicue has described his mother as a supportive early influence on his life. He explained, "I also grew up with a mom who told me I could do anything, so I was like, 'Y'all don't even know howamazing I am.' My mom was one of the moms who was like, 'You are so handsome why aren't you modeling? I am handsome, but model... let's not get crazy." As a teenager, Tidicue attended Morrow High School. He then went on to study theater at Columbus State University. When Tidicue was 22 years old, he moved to New York City with $500 and two suitcases. He originally intended to become an actor and standup comedian. Before becoming a drag queen, Tidicue worked in children's theater for years and "always found children to be a source of joy for ." He is also an LGBT activist and spoke on RuPaul's Drag Race of a moment when he was protesting for LGBT rights and was arrested in drag. He is the drag mother of Miz Cracker and drag sister to Monét X Change, who placed fifth and sixth, respectively, on season 10 of RuPaul's Drag Race, with X Change going on to win RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 4, along with Trinity Taylor. Tidicue identifies as pansexual and non-binary and goes by either he/him or she/her pronouns.
Career
Drag career beginnings
In the summer of 2009, Tidicue started doing drag, after watching the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race on Tivo. They explained that they "became obsessed" with the show, and it immediately inspired them to order a TK-7 makeup kit off of the Ben Nye website. Since his first presentations, their character was focused on stand-up comedy routines, and they started lip-syncing after a couple of months into their drag. Their initial stage name was Kittin Withawhip, which was a reference to Kitten with a Whip, a film that starred Ann-Margret. They were featured in Leland Bobbé's Half Drag Series with their name. In their early drag career, Tidicue would perform with a nine-foot bullwhip. In the beginning of their career, Tidicue faced challenges as a drag queen. As they described, "It did not make me money or get me gigs. It cost me a lot. I did this competition every Thursday. Then another one on Wednesday. And another on Tuesday. I never won any of them. Ever. After a few years, I finally won one. It was really addictive and fun doing competitions." In 2013, Tidicue officially changed his stage name to Bob the Drag Queen. As they explained, at a karaoke hosting gig, "The guy goes, 'Give it up for your host... Kate. But she made light of the moment, reintroducing herself as 'Kate the Drag Queen,' then 'Kim the Drag Queen' throughout the evening. Then at the end of the night, I was like, 'Give it up for... Bob the Drag Queen.' And I was like, 'That sounds really funny.'"
''RuPaul's Drag Race'' Season 8
On February 1, 2016, Bob was revealed as a cast member on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. On the show, they were noted for their focus on comedy. During the show, they won three challenges, including the recurring "Snatch Game". On May 16, 2016, Bob was crowned the winner of the season and received a cash prize of $100,000.
Other ventures
In 2016, shortly after winning Drag Race, Bob released the single "Purse First" featuring DJ Mitch Ferrino. Also in 2016, they appeared in the music video for MC Frontalot's "Mornings Come and Go". They also collaborated with Alaska Thunderfuck on the single "Yet Another Dig" in 2017, and contributed to the compilation album Christmas Queens 3. He collaborated with Shangela for a Christmas theme song, "Deck A Ho" in December 2017. On March 15, 2018, Bob debuted the podcast Sibling Rivalry with her drag sister Monét X Change as co-host and produced by DJ Mitch Ferrino. On April 2, 2018, a video version of the podcast was uploaded to YouTube. Bob appeared as a guest co-host alongside Trixie Mattel on The Trixie & Katya Show, filling in for regular co-host Katya during her hiatus. Their TV comedy special, Bob the Drag Queen: Suspiciously Large Woman, aired on Logo in July 2017. Tidicue played the role of Belize in Berkeley Rep’s production of Angels in America from April to July 2018. In November 2019, Tidicue was interviewed by KMVT about a one-time drag event hosted in Twin Falls, a show highlighting local drag queens and introducing international drag talent to Magic Valley. Bob's second comedy special, Bob The Drag Queen: Crazy Black Lady, will air on OutTV in Canada in 2020. On March 5 and 6, 2020, Tidicue performed alongside fellow drag race alumni Bebe Zahara Benet, The Vixen, Monique Heart, Peppermint, and Shea Couleé in the Nubia tour, a live drag show featuring and produced by Black drag queens. On June 14 2020, it was announced that along with Peppermint, they were hosting the first Black Queer Town Hall between June 19-21, in association with GLAAD and New York Pride.
