RuPaul Andre Charles, born November 17, 1960, is a multifaceted American artist, television personality, and author. With a career spanning over four decades, RuPaul has made a significant impact in the entertainment industry.
As the executive producer and host of the reality competition TV series RuPaul's Drag Race, RuPaul has received an impressive fourteen Primetime Emmy Awards, the most wins for outstanding host of a reality or competition program and for any Black artist in history. In 2022, RuPaul received a Tony Award as a producer of the Best Musical A Strange Loop.
RuPaul is widely regarded as the most commercially successful drag queen of all time. In 2017, he was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Born and raised in San Diego, California, RuPaul later moved to Atlanta, Georgia to study performing arts, before settling in New York City, where he became a popular fixture on the nightclub scene.
RuPaul's music career has been equally successful, with the release of the 1993 song RuPaul: Supermodel, You Better Work, which achieved international fame. As a recording artist, RuPaul has co-written and co-produced eighteen studio albums to date.
RuPaul's Drag Race has produced sixteen seasons to date, inspiring several international spin-off series. He has also hosted several other TV shows, including Skin Wars, Good Work, Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul, Lingo, Celebrity Lingo, and Saturday Night Live.
As an actor, RuPaul has appeared in over 50 films and television shows, both in and out of drag. He has also published four books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller The House of Hidden Meanings.
RuPaul lives in New York, California, and Wyoming, and is married to Australian rancher Georges LeBar, whom he met on the dance floor in 1994.