Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald is the drag persona of Donnell Robinson (born ), an American drag queen based in Washington, D.C. Known as "the doyenne of D.C.'s drag scene," she hosted a long-running show at the drag club Ziegfeld's and is a mainstay of the city's annual Capital Pride.

Early life Donnell Robinson was born in the mid-1950s. He grew up on a farm in the area of Warrenton, Virginia, where he was raised by his grandparents while his mother worked as a domestic worker in Fairfax, Virginia. His first foray into drag, before he was even aware of drag's existence, was portraying the Flip Wilson character Geraldine Jones at an eighth-grade talent show.

After struggling at Fauquier High School while balancing schoolwork with farmwork and caring for his grandparents, he managed to graduate in 1974, though he was not able to attend college due to his family's financial situation. A friend took him to the Pier 9 nightclub, where he watched a drag performance for the first time. He would go on to win his first drag competition there.

She was a key member of the Academy of Washington, a now-shuttered social club for drag performers, and won various awards from the organization before it closed in 2015. At the Academy, she led the "Drag Daughters" house. Fitzgerald, who created the show, served as director, emcee, and performer, and became one of the club's best-known acts, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Ziegfeld's." She has also performed periodically at other clubs, such as Freddie's Beach Bar in Virginia, and is a mainstay of Capital Pride, D.C.'s annual LGBTQ pride parade. By 2026, she had largely retired from performing, making only occasional appearances.

Beginning in the 1980s, Fitzgerald hosted fundraisers in response to the HIV/AIDs crisis, a cause she continues to support.