Charlie Hides
Charlie Hides (born July 12, 1964) is a British-American drag queen, impersonator, actor, and comedian. Hides is known for his YouTube channel, and his participation in the ninth season of "RuPaul's Drag Race". Following live performances in London clubs, Hides started a YouTube channel in March 2011. He has produced hundreds of videos satirizing popular culture, and impersonating celebrities such as Cher, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Lana Del Rey. Personal life. Hides was born in Boston, Massachusetts on July 12, 1964. He attended the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. He currently lives in London and  has multiple citizenship, being a citizen of the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland. Hides is gay, and in 2004 married his partner James Hides in the town of Provincetown, Massachusetts. Career. Hides began as a successful drag act in Provincetown, Massachusetts in the 1990s. There he would incorporate live singing as well as comedic skits into his act. This success continued when he moved to London in the 2000s where he began performing on the London cabaret circuit in gay-venues, and legendary drag/cabaret venues, such as The Two Brewers and The Royal Vauxhall Tavern. As his success  grew, he became a sensation across the United Kingdom and would regularly tour the UK. Hides started a YouTube channel after high-definition video uploading became available on the website. Following the creation of his channel, he uploaded some of the videos that he used in live performances and comedy routines. Since Hides created the "Charlie Hides TV" YouTube channel in March 2011, he has uploaded over 200 videos. These include series such as "Madonna/Lady Gaga Nightmares" and "Shit ____ Says". In 2013, Hides uploaded a sketch that starred Australian singer and actress Kylie Minogue. He impersonated Cher during a  telephone call with Minogue. In 2015, Hides starred on the TV show "Big Brother's Bit on the Side", where he impersonated celebrities whilst commenting on "Celebrity Big Brother" contestants. Hides also had a cameo role in the film "", as a drag performer. In 2014, "The Charlie Hides Show" aired on London Live as a pilot show, incorporating elements from his live performances and YouTube channel. Hides has occasionally drawn the attention of some of the acts that he impersonates. In a 2013 interview with the "Herald Sun", Cher said that Hides was her "favourite Cher impersonator". When Lady Gaga  was in London, she sent flowers to Hides, alongside a note. Hides has also stated that Liza Minnelli, Elton John and Kris Jenner have been "very kind". In 2019, Hides' began regularly performing and hosting 'Drag Queen Bingo' and saw instant success with every show selling out that he began taking it across the United Kingdom. 'Drag Queen Bingo' would become Hides' regular show, taking over from his evening cabaret shows, and in 2020 he set up the company dragqueen.bingo. Section::::"RuPaul's Drag Race". On February 2, 2017, Logo TV announced that Hides would participate as a contestant in the  ninth season of American reality competition "RuPaul's Drag Race". As of 2017, Hides is the oldest contestant to participate on "Drag Race". The season premiered on March 24, 2017, on VH1. In an interview with BBC News "Newsbeat", Hides said: On the fourth episode of the show, entitled "Good Morning Bitches", Hides was eliminated from the competition. He was placed in the bottom two by the judges, and therefore had to participate in a "Lip-Sync for Your Life" to Britney Spears' "I Wanna Go" against fellow contestant Trinity Taylor. Hides commented on the lip-sync, saying that the  self-described "disaster" was a result of having a fractured rib, due to a cheerleading challenge several episodes prior. In the episode's challenge, Hides was critiqued for his performance in the talk show segment of the episode. The morning after his elimination, Hides uploaded a music video for his new single, "The Dame". Controversy. In December 2015, Hides was accused of using blackface and ethnic stereotypes to represent one of his characters, Laquisha Jonz. An activist, Chardine Taylor-Stone, launched a petition on the website Change.org, calling for the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, and other venues, to cancel Hides' performances . Taylor-Stone claimed that the character was "a racist act based on misogynist stereotypes of black working class women, it is outdated, offensive, shameful and has no place in the LGBT Community". As a result, Hides stated that he will no longer use the character in his performances.