KaladKaren should not be confused with Karen Davila.
| KaladKaren | |
| Birth Name: | Jervi Ryan Lisaba |
| Birth Date: | 9 August 1992 |
| Nationality: | Filipino |
| Years Active: | 2011 - present |
| Known For: | Impersonating Karen Davila |
| Agent: | Star Magic [1] |
| Partner: | Luke Wrightson |
Jervi Ryan Lisaba[2] (born August 9, 1992), also known as Jervi Li[3] [4] and better known by her stage name KaladKaren, is a Filipino actress, TV host, writer, endorser, impersonator, LGBT rights advocate, television personality and radio host most known for her impression of ABS-CBN News personality Karen Davila. She became the first transgender woman to win 'Best Supporting Actress' at the Summer Metro Manila Film Festival.[5]
Jervi graduated from the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City with magna cum laude honors and obtained a bachelor's degree in broadcast communication.[6]
In 2012, KaladKaren (credited as Jervi Li) and Saida Diola formed Team Amigas on the series The Amazing Race Philippines 1 on TV5. The team placed 5th after being eliminated in Boracay, Aklan.
In 2016, Jervi impersonated Karen Davila in the Philippine presidential election, as part of a political satire event led by the University of the Philippines.[7] She would be known as KaladKaren due to her portrayal.
She co-hosted the morning talk show of ABS-CBN Umagang Kay Ganda, and presented Pilipinas Got Talent Exclusives, The Voice Kids Digi TV, The Voice Teens Digi TV and Trabahanap. She was also a mainstay of the program I Can See Your Voice and served as a resident judge on Drag Race Philippines.[8]
In June 2023, she joined Frontline Pilipinas on TV5 as a presenter for the Showbiz and Trivia segment.
In 2011, KaladKaren (credited as Jervi Li) appeared in the GMA's comedy horror anthology Spooky Nights: Bampirella along with stars Marian Rivera, Mikael Daez, and Gelli de Belen.
In 2023, KaladKaren would act in Here Comes the Groom which premiered at the 2023 Summer Metro Manila Film Festival.[9] In the film, she portrayed Wilhelmina who was also a trans woman like herself. Her character switched bodies with Junior, the protagonist which was portrayed by Enchong Dee hence she had to act like a man for parts of the film to fulfill the role.[10] She won the best supporting actress award in the festival, becoming the second trans woman to win a best actress award in the Philippine film industry after Iyah Mina in 2018.[11] She appeared in the iWantTFC miniseries such as Drag You & Me and Fit Check and is played by herself to make a supporting character was denoted by a cameo appearance in the drama-suspense thriller miniseries, Fractured, along with co-stars by Francine Diaz, Seth Fedelin, Jeremiah Lisbo, Kaori Oinuma, Raven Rigor, Sean Tristan, and Daniela Stranner.
KaladKaren identifies as a transgender woman and advocate of LGBT rights.[12] [13] She has been engaged to boyfriend Luke Wrightson since 2020.[14]
| Year | Title | Role | Station |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Spooky Nights: Bampriella | Megan Pak | GMA Network |
| 2012 | The Amazing Race Philippines 1 | Herself | TV5 |
| 2017 | Pasada Sais Trenta | Herself / Guest | DZMM TeleRadyo |
| 2017–2019 | Gandang Gabi, Vice! | Guest | ABS-CBN |
| 2018–2020 | Umagang Kay Ganda | Co-host | |
| 2019 | Banana Sundae | Herself | |
| 2019–2021 | I Can See Your Voice | Herself / SINGvestigator | ABS-CBN Kapamilya Channel A2Z |
| 2022 | It's Showtime | Jury | TV5 |
| 2022–present | Drag Race Philippines | Herself / Judge | Discovery+ and HBO Go (Philippines) |
| BalitaOneNan | KaladKaren Dadilat | BuKo | |
| 2023 | Headstart with Karen Davila | Herself / Guest | ABS-CBN News Channel |
| TV Patrol | Herself / Guest Segment Anchor "Star Patrol" | Kapamilya Channel A2Z ABS-CBN News Channel TeleRadyo | |
| Family Feud | Herself/Guest | GMA Network | |
| Drag You & Me | Gerardo Pallan / Miranda Kalaw-Forbes | iWantTFC | |
| Fit Check | Barbie | Amazon Prime Video | |
| 2023 | Fractured | Herself | iWantTFC |
| E.A.T. | Herself / Segment Co-Host | TV5 One PH | |
| 2023–present | Frontline Pilipinas | Herself / Segment Anchor "Showbiz Eto Na Nga" and "K-alaman" | |
| Year | Title | Role | Station | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Pasada Sais Trenta | Herself / Guest | DZMM | |
| 2023 | Ang Tinig N'yo | Guest Co-host | DWPM |
| Year | Title | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | KaladKaren Davila (reporter) | ||
| 2018 | The Girl in the Orange Dress | Ogie | |
| 2023 | Here Comes the Groom | Wilhelmina |