Ongina Biography

Ongina (born Ryan Ong Palao) is a Filipino-American drag performer and HIV activist who rose to international prominence on the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race and the fifth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars. He was one of the first reality television stars to admit to being HIV-positive.

Ongina Career

Ongina was chosen as one of nine contestants for the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, which aired on February 2, 2009. In the fourth episode, where he won his second challenge, he revealed his HIV status. He was eliminated in the following episode after failing to perform a lip-sync to Britney Spears’s “Stronger” against eventual winner BeBe Zahara Benet, finishing fifth.

He made a cameo appearance on the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars after season one. Ongina also made five appearances on RuPaul’s Drag Race in the first and second seasons. In November 2017, Ongina was a featured performer in Queens United, a benefit show created by Phi Phi O’Hara in an effort to raise funds for cancer research.

Also, in November 2017, He was a featured performer in Queens United, a benefit show created by Phi Phi O’Hara to raise funds for Hurricane Maria victims. In the season 11 premiere of Drag Race, he appeared as a guest for the first challenge. He appeared in The Black Eyed Peas 2009 music video for “I Gotta Feeling.” In RuPaul’s Drag Race: Dragopolis 2.0 mobile app, an animated version of his appeared. In September and October 2018, he appeared in three episodes of the WOW Presents web series Fashion Photo RuView with Mayhem Miller, filling in for Raja and Raven.

Ongina performed at Motor City Pride in June 2019. Later that year, he headlined the Virginia Pridefest alongside Betty Who. He was announced as one of ten queens competing on the fifth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars on May 8, 2020. Ongina was the second queen to be eliminated from the show, finishing ninth overall. He will host “Constellations of Change,” a live-streamed cabaret show produced by ViiV Healthcare as part of its annual Community Summit, in November 2020.

Ongina Age

Ongina is 42 years old. He was born Ryan Ong Palao on January 6, 1982, in Siasi, Philippines. He celebrates his birthday on January 6 every year.

Ongina Height

Palao stands at a height of 5 feet 4 inches (1.62 m).

Ongina Family

In 1994, he and his family moved to Seattle, Washington. Before he has not disclosed any information about his parents. Also, there is n information regarding whether Ongina has any siblings.

Ongina Husband / Partner

Palao is openly gay – he is married to Ryan and they happily reside in Los Angeles, California. They tied the knot in the year 2010.

Ongina Net Worth

Palao has an estimated net worth of over $1 Million which he has earned through being a drag performer and HIV activist.

Ongina HIV / AIDS

On April 13, 2006, he tested HIV-positive. Since then, he has been involved in Epic Voices, an amFAR campaign, whose objective is to find a cure for HIV/AIDS by the year 2030 and to reengage the conversation about the disease.

The table below answers some of the frequently asked questions about Ongina.