In the early 1990s, RuPaul signed a record contract and released his first album, Supermodel of the World. He also began acting. RuPaul is a well-known figure in the gay, drag, and transsexual communities due to his TV productions, including RuPaul’s Drag Race, and his outgoing demeanor.
Early Life
RuPaul was born as RuPaul Andre Charles on November 17, 1960, in San Diego, California. RuPaul’s parents split when he was seven years old, and he spent his teenage years in Atlanta, Georgia, with his sister and her husband. RuPaul, the only son in a family of four, grew up wearing his sisters’ clothes and experimenting with cross-dressing, inspired by celebrities such as Diana Ross and Jane Fonda.
RuPaul attended the Northside School of Performing Arts in Atlanta, and while he did not graduate, it was a significant step toward gaining experience in the realm of performing and, eventually, show business. In 1982, RuPaul emailed a photo of himself to a local TV show, The American Music Show, requesting to appear on air. He quickly became a regular on the show, frequently performing with his newly formed band, RuPaul and the U-Hauls.
Wigstock and Hit Song “Supermodel (You Better Work)”
RuPaul and the U-Hauls split up quickly, and Wee Wee Pole emerged to perform throughout Atlanta. RuPaul also made his first foray into acting around this time, playing uncredited roles in a number of low-budget films. While these appearances did not help RuPaul rise to stardom, he was never short of ideas about how to advance his career. In one such campaign, RuPaul sold postcards of himself and prepared small booklets filled with self-penned witticisms and tales.
In the mid-1980s, the statuesque RuPaul departed the South for New York City, where he participated in a new festival called Wigstock. He, his Atlanta roommate Lady Bunny (who founded Wigstock), and others would perform drag predominantly in the East Village, with the festival ultimately expanding. RuPaul’s flamboyance and ease on stage helped him become a popular club dancer, and by the end of the decade, he was dubbed the Queen of New York.
RuPaul acquired a recording contract with Tommy Boy Records in 1991. His debut album, Supermodel of the World, was released two years later. He earned success with the tune “Supermodel (You Better Work),” which peaked at No. 2 on the dance club charts and entered the Top 50 of the pop charts. RuPaul would become a club staple over the years, with other successes like “Snapshot” and “WorkOut.” A 1993 duet with Elton John on a reworking of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” was a U.K. Top 10 smash.
TV, Films and Autobiography
In 1994, RuPaul made his feature film debut in Spike Lee‘s Crooklyn, launching a new stage career. In 1995, she appeared on TV shows including Sister, Sister, and In the House, as well as in films like The Brady Bunch Movie, Blue in the Face, and To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything. In the same year, RuPaul published his autobiography, “Lettin’ It All Hang Out,” and signed a modeling contract with MAC Cosmetics. RuPaul launched his own TV chat program, The RuPaul program, which aired until 1998.
RuPaul’s music albums, including Ho Ho Ho (1997), Red Hot (2004), and Reworked (2006), have kept fans satisfied despite his constant TV appearances.
Reality Show Drag Race
RuPaul’s success in music and cinema paled in comparison to his long-running reality TV competition, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and its subsequent versions, All Stars and Untucked!, which debuted in 2009.After RuPaul won his first Emmy for Drag Race in 2016, the March 2017 season 9 premiere with Lady Gaga was the most watched episode in the show’s history, with nearly one million viewers turning in.
In January 2024, Drag Race won its fifth Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition Program, beating out frequent contenders like Survivor and The Amazing Race.
Podcast and Gay for Play
In 2014, RuPaul began his podcast, RuPaul: What’s the Tee?, with frequent partner Michelle Visage. He also served as a judge on the body painting competition, Skin Wars. He hosted the trivia game show “Gay for Play” for two seasons starting in April 2016, and released albums such as “Slay Belles” in 2015, “Remember Me: Essential, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2,” and “American” in 2017.
In late 2018, RuPaul released Christmas Party, a holiday-themed record, and GuRu, his third book. His return to daytime talk shows with RuPaul in 2019 and his 2020 Netflix comedy-drama series, AJ and the Queen, were both unsuccessful. In January 2020, the drag icon released his 13th studio album, You’re a Winner Baby, and made his debut as a Saturday Night Live host the following month.
Hollywood Walk of Fame
RuPaul received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2018, making her the first drag queen to do so. Following an introduction statement by Fonda, one of his early influences, he tearfully reminded the audience that this was “absolutely the most important moment in my professional career.”
Husband
RuPaul married his longtime partner, Australian painter Georges LeBar, in January 2017.