The many transformations of Emmy-nominated makeup icon Kályd Odeh

The week leading up to the Emmys was quite an emotional time for the cast and crew of We're Here. On Friday, September 6, HBO announced that the series wasn't renewed for a fifth season, which sparked an uproar among fans of the show. Over the next two days, We're Here lost in both categories that it was nominated for.

All tea, no shade: losing isn't always fun. But speaking to Odeh feels like facing a literal beam of light shining in your direction — like he has his own light source, which is then projected onto you. And even with 20 years of experience working as a makeup artist for A-list celebrities and drag superstars, Odeh is still taken aback after receiving a compliment, and gets emotional while recalling his life story.

Odeh's upbringing mostly took place between Jordan and England. When he was 8 years old, his family moved to the United States, and they originally settled in Chicago. "My background is kind of a multiverse," he teases. "I have Turkish, Palestinian, and Irish… so there's a little bit of everything in me."

Odeh entered the makeup industry while still living in Chicago and worked as a regional artist for Dior. He then transferred to New York City to continue working with Dior, until he became the color expert and a national makeup artist for Chanel during almost 11 years.

Odeh's 20-year journey working in the makeup industry started in college, which was a very experimental time for his creative talents. "I even started doing a little bit of drag back then, and that's how I knew a lot of these seasoned girls from back in the day," Odeh recalls. "Funny story: me and Sasha Colby entered Miss Continental the same year; we were babies."

Wait, what did you just say?!

"I know, yeah, that's so crazy," he laughs. "Obviously, her career took her in one direction, which is incredible. She's the best in this craft. But I kind of bent it off. I loved the idea of drag, and everything it stands for, and how it's so creative… but not necessarily me being in drag. So, I looked for other ways to be incorporated into the scene without actually being in drag, and makeup was a great way for me to do that."

And what was Odeh's drag name, you ask? "I had no choice," he explains. "My drag mother at the time was like, 'Your father was Latino.' I didn't even know there was a drag father involved, but that's where I got Jocelyn Santana as my drag name."

Let the record show that Odeh did not compete against Sasha Colby on the year she was actually crowned Miss Continental. "I think that was her first year; she won just a few years after that," he recalls. "But let me tell you: she had such a massive impact just on her first year alone. She made it to top 12 as a newcomer. That's kind of a big deal. Like I said, she's the best out there."

Odeh was a few years into his makeup career when, in 2014, he got into a very dangerous car accident. Throughout his recovery process from that near-death experience, Odeh went through 16 surgeries, did physical therapy exercises to strengthen his ability to walk, and had to learn how to use his hands all over again — which could've jeopardized his entire career and skills as a makeup artist.

"I needed to have nerve surgery through my wrist, my hand, neck, back, nose, chin, and knee," he adds. "And that was all just from one impact. I got hit by a semi-truck on the freeway, so you can just imagine what that accident would've looked like. I'm grateful to even be here and be able to tell my story."

Odeh describes his hospitalization and recovery process as a "really dark" time in his life. "I was not mobile. I gained 80 pounds. Everything that I knew was completely gone. I would look at myself in mirror and wouldn't recognize myself mentally or physically. I used to know what my superpowers were, but at that time, I truly didn't see them."

"When that happened, a lot of people took a step back from me," he confesses. "In a sense, I guess you're only as good as your last job or last piece of work, right?"

While contemplating this period of his life, Odeh has seemingly come to terms with the harsh reality of the industry. Though you can still hear a little sting of disappointment in his voice, he quickly shifts focus to the lessons and positive outcomes that followed that experience.

"When I started getting back into my craft, I had to slowly reconfigure my life and learn pretty much everything all over again," he explains, noting that he only resumed working between 2016 and 2017 — over two years after the car accident.

"I was literally doing one job per month just to get myself going again and rebuild my confidence. I used to be working with Dior, Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld; I was literally hitting all the major fashion outlets and fashion shows. I had a pretty good name for myself in the industry."

But the accident — which forced Odeh into a career hiatus — changed it all. "To all of a sudden get knocked down from something that you had absolutely no control over… it was an eye-opening experience," he says. "I developed all kinds of insecurities and depression. I had to reassess my life, the people that I worked with, my friends, and even my family. I was lucky to have the right people around me through those years."

"And it was people in the queer community who opened their doors and started hiring me to consistently work again," Odeh highlights. "Like, being on set with Willam, and with Alaska, and then with Manila Luzon and Nina West. I had to slowly build up those relationships."

Fortunately, those gigs served as a "snowball effect that created this new chapter of my life," Odeh says, "working really heavily within the queer community, which is always extremely creative and colorful, and there's never a dull moment."

One of Odeh's high-profile jobs with Nina West was the red carpet for the premiere of Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid in 2023, where the makeup star got to meet Melissa McCarthy. "We graduated from the same high school, Plainfield High School in Illinois, which was this weird thing that we had in common," Odeh says when asked about McCarthy.

"I was working at a job in Miami when I randomly got a call. They were like, 'Hey, Melissa McCarthy is winning an award for Pride and she's requested for you to come and do her makeup. Are you available?' I literally dropped everything, got on a flight, did the makeup that same day, and then flew back to finish my original job in Miami. I was literally went bi-coastal in just a few hours."

Odeh's experiences with McCarthy have all been nothing but wonderful. "I got to meet her family and her team, and they were so genuine, so sweet, and so accommodating," he says. "And then we got to go down the parade together. I was walking alongside her, which was really cool."

He continues, "We still keep in touch. We'd go out sometimes at some gay functions. We've gone to see Alaska perform. It's been really, really cool… she's awesome. I actually spoke to her a few weeks ago because I invited her for something, but we'll talk about that another time."

Another regular client for Odeh is the legendary Paula Abdul, with whom he's been working for two years. "I think something happened with the makeup artist scheduled for that day. That person couldn't show up, or wasn't available anymore, or something," he tries to remember. "So the production company called me… and me and Paula, it was kind of like love at first sight. We just hit it off, got along really well, and kind of became super close friends."

Odeh adds, "We just wrapped up her Magic Summer Tour with New Kids on the Block. We had been on the road for almost three months, so I'm happy to be home."

While Odeh and We're Here didn't end up winning an Emmy Award this past weekend, he's been elated and grateful for the entire journey — win, lose, or draw.

"Just the fact that I'm nominated is such a huge thing. Just the nomination alone has already opened up so many more doors and started so many conversations," he explains. "The most important part, for me, is being nominated for a queer project. That is something that I truly am very proud of."

He concludes, "Because I hadn't seen anybody in three months, we just started celebrating and having a great time ever since I got back. I'm constantly surrounded by so much love and support, and that's truly all I could really ask for. If you don't have the love and support that you have from your colleagues, your friends, and your family, a trophy doesn't mean much. But I feel lucky that I already have those special people in my life. That's what truly matters."

All four seasons of HBO's We're Here are available for streaming on Max.