RuPaul

* In Drag
* Out of Drag

## Logo

Logo

**RuPaul Andre Charles**, better known simply as **RuPaul**, is an American drag performer, actor, television host, and recording artist. RuPaul is well known for appearing in several films, and being the host and judge for his own popular reality television series *Drag Race Sims*, for which he has received 11 Primetime Emmy Awards as of 2022.

RuPaul is considered to be the most commercially successful drag queen in the United States. In 2017, he was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.

## Biography

RuPaul, birth name RuPaul Charles, was born in San Diego, California on November 17, 1960. He was named by his mother, Ernestine Charles; the "Ru" came from roux, which is the term for the base of gumbo and other creole stews and soups. Finding global success in the 90s and again in recent years with his TV shows, including *RuPaul's Drag Race*, and his oversized personality, RuPaul has become a beacon in LGBTQ+ communities.

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At the age of 15, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia with his sister and her husband. There, he was studying at the School of Performing Arts - though never graduated - and worked in his family's business of selling used cars for six years. By the 1980s, RuPaul began crossdressing and was known to be a "gender bender", performing at Atlanta clubs either as a go-go dancer or with his new wave/punk band, RuPaul and the U-Hauls and later, Wee Wee Pole.

After spending a brief time in New York City, RuPaul moved back to Atlanta and participated in underground cinema, starring in the *Starbooty* film trilogy alongside his roommate Lady Bunny and DJ Larry Tee. RuPaul decided that he would make a name for himself before moving to New York, pasting posters and selling postcards of himself that said "RuPaul is Everything," among others, all throughout midtown Atlanta.

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In 1987, RuPaul officially moved to New York City where he would become part of the burgeoning drag scene. RuPaul has said that he changed his image from "punk drag" to "black hooker drag" while in New York. He quickly befriended several Club Kids, a group of counterculture nightlife entertainers known for their flamboyancy and eccentricity, after Susanne Bartsch hired him to appear at her iconic parties. Here, RuPaul would meet Michelle Visage who would become his on-air sidekick and one of his closest friends. He continued to perform in clubs as a dancer and made many appearances at Lady Bunny's annual drag festival, Wigstock, in the East Village. His larger-than-life personality and ease on stage earned him popularity and he, along with Susanne Bartsch and Lady Bunny, became a staple within New York's nightlife. Before the decade was over, RuPaul would be hailed as the *Queen of Manhattan.*

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RuPaul gained worldwide fame with the release of his 1993 album, "Supermodel of the World". The album's first single, "Supermodel (You Better Work)", reached the Top 50 of the pop charts and no. 2 on the dance club charts. The single was also nominated for the Best Dance Music Video award in the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards. In 1994, RuPaul landed a modeling contract as the first face of MAC Cosmetic's Viva Glam line. With his new "glamazon supermodel" drag caricature, RuPaul became one of the first drag queens to enter the mainstream and has subsequently become an icon of pop culture.

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In 1996, he debuted his own TV talk show on VH1, called *The RuPaul Show*. Co-hosted by Michelle Visage, it was one of the first TV programs in the United States hosted by an openly gay person. His first guest was his number one icon and muse, Diana Ross. Other notable guests included Cher, Bea Arthur, and Nirvana while his show aired for 2 years. RuPaul continued his acting and music career throughout the 90s, though took a step back from the industry and moved to Los Angeles in 1998. Ready to return to show business, RuPaul released his fourth album, "Red Hot", in 2004 and starred in the 2007 film *Starrbooty*, which served as the fourth film in the *Starbooty* series.

It wasn't until 2009 when RuPaul truly made his mark on the cultural landscape with the debut of *RuPaul's Drag Race*, a reality TV game show that first aired on Logo. The success of the show has sparked several spin-off series including *Untucked*, *RuPaul's Drag U*, and *RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars*. RuPaul has been noted as having a large part in *RuPaul's Drag Race* 's continuous television success. By pioneering queer representation on television, many believe RuPaul to have essentially revolutionised the portrayal of the LGBTQ+ community on screen. He first won an Emmy for his work on the show in 2016, and one year later the show garnered 8 nominations, including Outstanding Reality-Competition Program for the first time in its 11-season run, and a second consecutive win for RuPaul in the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program.

RuPaul is married to Georges LeBar, an Australian author and painter. The two met in 1994 at the Limelight nightclub in New York City, marrying in January 2017. Together, they live on a 50-acre ranch in Wyoming.

## Drag Name Origin

RuPaul decided to keep her birth name RuPaul, but without Charles at the end.