Riley Knoxx

Knoxx was born in Hartsville, South Carolina but later moved to California.[1] She ran away from her childhood home in California as a teenager due to her family shunning her after she came out as a transgender woman.[2] She went to South Carolina to live with her grandmother, but was not accepted there, and moved to Washington, D.C. by herself.[2]

Knoxx became a drag performer, and has since performed at the annual Capital Pride, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and at 40/40 Club.[2]

In 2019, Knoxx appeared in the music video for Taylor Swift's song You Need to Calm Down, portaying Beyoncé.[3][4] The making of the music video was featured in Swift's 2020 documentary film Miss Americana.[5] As a backup dancer, she has performed with Jennifer Hudson, Faith Evans, and Miley Cyrus.[2][4]

In 2020, Knoxx performed as Beyoncé impersonator at a halftime show during a Washington Wizards game against the Atlanta Hawks, accompanied by the Wizards Dancers, becoming the first openly transgender woman to perform during a National Basketball Association halftime show.[2][6] She is the top Beyoncé impersonator in the United States.[2][7][8] She created her own stage show called The Illusion of Queen Bee, featuring dances to thirty-two Beyoncé songs, at the City Winery in Washington, D.C.[9] She has also made appearnaces on the American reality television series R&B Divas, The Real Housewives of Potomac, and Braxton Family Values.[2]