Halal Bae

Halal Bae is the stage name of Sherif Talaab, a Canadian drag performer who competed on season 3 of Canada's Drag Race.

Early life

Halal Bae is of Egyptian-Palestinian ancestry, and was raised by a Muslim family in the Middle East.

Career

Halal Bae is a drag performer. She gained prominence in Toronto, and was named the city's best drag performer by NOW Magazine in 2020. She competed on season 3 of Canada's Drag Race, and was the first contestant eliminated from the competition. Halal Bae was also the first contestant to have a mustache, which Screen Rant said "[expanded] the idea of what it means to be a drag performer and how drag queens must look to be considered valid". Tobin Ng of Broadview said Halal Bae received praise on social media "for bringing Muslim and Middle Eastern representation to the show". Michel Cook of Instinct magazine wrote, "Not only did they help shatter stereotypes as to what a queer Muslim person truly is, Bae is the first North African person to hit the Drag Race competition."

Outside of drag, Halal Bae has worked as a project manager.

Personal life

Halal Bae is queer and based in Toronto. CBC has described her as an "Arab Muslim activist queen". According to The New Arab, she is "a staunch supporter of a free Palestine". Halal Bae uses the pronouns she/her in drag and he/him/they out of drag.