What Happened to Exotica, a Popular Transsexual from the 1990’s


Photo by Brian Lantelme

You may remember the name “Exotica” as a person from your list of favorite 1990’s talk shows or may have seen her modeling on the cover of Blood Orange’s album Coastal Grooves but what became of the popular transsexual dominatrix who graced the screens of some of the most popular talk shows of the 1990’s? Such shows as: Jenny Jones, Donahue, and The Howard Stern Show to name a few? Find out below!

Born Boris F. Maldonado on October 29, 1965 in Ecuador, Boris would later change her name to Bianca after immigrating to the United States; settling in New York. Bianca worked as a phone sex operator, dominatrix, and for a brief period of time as a prostitute under the name Exotica, which became the name she became famous under as a frequent guest on some of the most popular talk shows on television.

Exotica made the rounds in the early 1990’s on episodes of Donahue and Jenny Jones discussing her life as a transsexual dominatrix, relationships with heterosexual men, and her past as a prostitute. These jaw-dropping statements and her ability to resemble a convincing woman made her a beloved fixture in the pre-social media era. Unfortunately on October 17, 1996 Exotica quietly passed away at Lenox Hospital in New York from AIDS. She had a brain tumor the size of an orange that made it difficult for her to speak or even move. Her loving niece Maria Jose Maldonado, was only 10-years old at the time and was often by Exotica’s side in the hospital.

A documentary short My Fierce Aunt Bianca is currently in the film festival circuit. It made its debut at the Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival and will be shown at the NY Latino Film Festival in September. The short details Maria Maldonado, a now grown non-binary artist attempting to locate friends and lovers of her aunt in a bid to learn more about her aunt from the people who knew her more as Exotica rather than Bianca. The movie also features interviews from family of Bianca’s and showcases some of Exotica’s popular talk and game show appearances including the never-before-seen Hooker Howie-Wood Squares segment on The Howard Stern Show.

Bianca was buried with a headstone that bears her given name. A feature-film version of My Fierce Aunt Bianca is in the works.

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