Cheek was raised in Ramseur, North Carolina. His mother died at a young age, and he is estranged from his father. He was raised by his grandmother.
Career
In 2014, shortly after turning 18, Cheek's sister invited her to a drag show in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Cheek has said of seeing his first drag show, “I saw the glamour of being able to do whatever you want to do.” Cheek said her drag name “came from a joke. It started out as a lot of men from my hometown are closeted and they would always try and get my goodies and whatnotries. I was like, ‘There’s no need to be hiding in the closet.’”
''RuPaul's Drag Race''
Cheek's participation as a cast member on season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race was announced on January 23, 2020. He is the third contestant on the show from North Carolina, following Victoria "Porkchop" Parker and Stacy Layne Matthews, and had not previously auditioned for the show. Heidi experienced an allergic reaction on her first day of shooting, but finished safe. She said the reaction may have been "from the hotel's detergent, or something that I may have ate for the first time... kale." She has faced criticism over her makeup skills, and outfits. On the first episode, she received some stern feedback from guest judge Nicki Minaj, "I hate, hate, haaaaate your hair and makeup today. The wig and the makeup could have enhanced your face even more to match this beautiful gown that you have on." Minaj went on to compliment Heidi's performance, but she was clearly shaken by the comments and asked Minaj for an explanation on the first episode of. Heidi has also faced criticism from RuPaul about her drag name choice. The host was clear he was not fond of the name, during episode 10 saying, "I don't know if you've heard the story, but she came here as Heidi N Closet. Rotten!" With each episode RuPaul refers to Heidi by different names, including Heidi Ho, Heidi N Seeky, Heidi Hydrates, and Heidi Afrodite. Despite this, Heidi revealed during the Season 12 reunion episode that she had decided to keep her name. Heidi has been dubbed the "heart" of the season by Out. During the competition, she placed in the top three times, winning one challenge. She also placed in the bottom two on four occasions. Her first two times in the bottom she survived the lip sync, sending home Nicky Doll and Brita respectively. Her third time in the bottom she lip-synced against Jackie Cox, and both were saved by RuPaul in a double shantay. She was eliminated in the eleventh episode, placing 6th overall in the competition, after losing her fourth lip sync to eventual winner of the season Jaida Essence Hall. During the season finale, she was named Miss Congeniality as voted on by her peers.
Personal life
Cheek is openly gay. He has experienced extreme poverty in his life and career, having indicated that he made $9,000 the previous year working at a gas station.
