Chucky Bartolo

Chucky Bartolo (born Andrew Bartolo; 5 July 1993) is a Maltese stand-up comedian and drag queen.[1] Currently based between Malta and Glasgow,[2] his career breakthrough came as a writer and journalist[3] for Lovin Malta after years of garnering a small following on YouTube as a vlogger.[4] Bartolo is openly gay and uses his platform to speak out against hate speech[5] and fight for reclamation of derogatory slurs.[6]

Since November 2018, he has written and starred in four stand-up specials,[7][8][9][1] and was the closing speaker of TEDx University of Malta's 2019 edition, 'Quirks'.[10] In 2018, Bartolo also starred as the Dame in Malta's National Theatre (Teatru Malta)'s first pantomime[11] and returned to the role in 2019[12] and 2020. To comply with COVID-19 safety regulations, the pantomime was moved to air on select national radio stations[13] and is the only one taking place on the island in 2020.

In 2020, Bartolo also collaborated with the Government of Malta's Children's Festival, Żigużajg, to put on a digital show encouraging children to write creative stories and bring a modern twist to old fairytales.[14] The digital programme was then brought to Malta as a live theatre production of the same name, "Fab Fantasy Fables with Chucky", in 2022.[15]

Bartolo was the narrator and voice-over artist of the first-ever season of reality TV drama Love Island Malta[16] which aired in 2023. He remains in this role, with the upcoming Season 4 of the show airing May 2026.[17]

In September 2023, Bartolo hosted and performed at EuroPride 2023's official drag show, The Drag Spectacular, in Valletta.[18]

Following a short break from pantomimes, December 2024 saw Bartolo reprised the role of Dame in their one-man pantomime "Chucky's Christmas Cracker - A Solo Panto Adventure".[19] The show, held at Spazju Kreattiv, saw Bartolo play all the characters in the performance using costume, voice and wig changes to tell the full story.[20] Bartolo returned to Spazju Kreattiv in 2025 with another one-man show under the new name "Chucky's Solo Panto".[21][22]

In October 2025 Bartolo opened Sirena, Malta's first dedicated drag bar.[23] Located in Sliema, Bartolo hosts and performs weekly drag shows,[23] while also using the space to continue their advocacy work against anti-LGBT hate speech and violence.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b "Chucky Bartolo: What's in the bag?". MaltaToday.com.mt. Archived from the original on 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  2. ^ MaltaDaily (2023-04-04). "Chucky Bartolo announced as Love Island Malta narrator". Malta Daily. Archived from the original on 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  3. ^ "Lovin Malta's Chucky Bartolo One Of This Year's JCI's 'Global Goals Awards' Winners". lovinmalta.com. 27 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2018-07-13. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  4. ^ "Master of YouTube". Times of Malta. 10 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  5. ^ "New Maltese Fashion Brand Fights To Reclaim Homophobic Slur". Lovin Malta. 2019-07-06. Archived from the original on 2019-07-07. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  6. ^ "Watch: An assault rifle bullet... the cure for a gay man". Times of Malta. 19 February 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  7. ^ "** Gag Order **". www.chuckybartolo.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  8. ^ "One Sweaty Lady – One-Man Show | Malta Society of Arts". Archived from the original on 2018-11-13. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  9. ^ "Tolqueen Stand-Up Comedy Show | Gay Guide Blog". Gay Guide Malta. 2019-03-08. Archived from the original on 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  10. ^ "TEDxUniversityofMalta Is Back: Here's A Look At The Five Amazing Speakers For This Year's Event". lovinmalta.com. 28 March 2019. Archived from the original on 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  11. ^ "Teatru Malta's Dame Miss Ħuta". Times of Malta. 26 December 2018. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  12. ^ "L-Imbuljuta – A Panto in the Dark". Archived from the original on 2019-12-24. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  13. ^ "Teatru Malta's panto over the radio". Times of Malta. 16 December 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  14. ^ "A fabulous set of stories". Times of Malta. 27 November 2020. Archived from the original on 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  15. ^ "Fab Fantasy Fables with Chucky". ŻiguŻajg. Archived from the original on 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  16. ^ Mifsud, Terrence (2023-04-08). "Drag Queen and Comedian Chucky Bartolo to Narrate Inaugural Season of Love Island Malta". Oh My Malta. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  17. ^ Galea, Charlene (2026-01-14). "Ready For The Villa? Love Island Malta Season 4 Casting Is Now Open". Lovin Malta. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  18. ^ "Drag Spectacular by Chucky Bartolo". GayMalta.com. Archived from the original on 2023-10-01. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  19. ^ Borg, Emma (2024-12-08). "Pantomime meets drag in 'Chucky's Christmas Cracker'". Times of Malta. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  20. ^ [httpss://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2024-12-08/newspaper-lifestyleculture/Experience-the-magic-of-the-holidays-with-Chucky-s-Christmas-Cracker-at-Spazju-Kreattiv-6736266323 "Experience the magic of the holidays with Chucky's Christmas Cracker at Spazju Kreattiv - The Malta Independent"]. www.independent.com.mt. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  21. ^ Malta, Times of (2025-12-14). "'Chucky's Solo Panto' climbs up a beanstalk". Times of Malta. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  22. ^ Depares, Ramona (2025-12-29). "Chucky's Solo Panto: Jack & The Beanstalk - 4 Star Review". Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  23. ^ a b Borg, Emma (2025-11-15). "Watch: Malta's only (and possibly first) drag bar opens in Sliema". Times of Malta. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  24. ^ "Chucky Bartolo speaks out on harassment faced by Sliema drag bar patrons and staff". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
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