What Is RuPaul's Net Worth and Salary?
RuPaul is an American actor, drag queen, model, author, and recording artist who has a net worth of $60 million. RuPaul is a multifaceted American personality best known for bringing the art of drag into mainstream pop culture. He gained international fame as a drag queen, singer, and television personality.
RuPaul's groundbreaking 1993 single, "Supermodel (You Better Work)," cemented his position as a pop culture icon, using music to challenge gender norms and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.
However, his most significant contribution has been as the creator and host of "RuPaul's Drag Race," a reality TV show that premiered in 2009. The Emmy-winning show, in which drag queens compete for the title of America's Next Drag Superstar, has not only amplified RuPaul's fame but also played a crucial role in de-stigmatizing and popularizing drag culture. RuPaul's larger-than-life persona, commitment to promoting acceptance, and pioneering work in entertainment have solidified his status as an influential figure in both the LGBTQ+ community and the broader realm of global pop culture. As of this writing, RuPaul has won fourteen Primetime Emmy Awards.
RuPaul Real Estate
In October 2019, RuPaul paid $13.7 million for a 10,300-square-foot extravagant mansion in Beverly Hills. He bought his previous home in 2011 for $2.5 million. He listed the former home in 2018 for $5 million, ultimately not finding a buyer. For more than 25 years, he has owned an apartment in New York City that he purchased for $350,000. In 2007, he spent $600,000 on a condo in West Hollywood, California.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
RuPaul Andre Charles, better known as just RuPaul, was born on November 17, 1960, in San Diego, California. He has three sisters. After his parents divorced in 1967, he and his siblings lived with their mother, Ernestine "Tony" Charles. When he was fifteen years old, RuPaul moved to Atlanta, Georgia, with his sister Renettea to study performing arts. Throughout the 1980s, he was a struggling filmmaker and musician and held a job at the famous Plaza Theatre. He performed locally, at places like the Celebrity Club, or as a backup singer to Glen Meadmore. His first break was in 1989 when he was cast as an extra, dancing in the music video "Love Shack" by the B-52s.
Career
In 1993, RuPaul recorded the album "Supermodel of the World," a dance/house record that was released through the rap label Tommy Boy. The single "Supermodel (You Better Work)" and its accompanying music video were a hit and found success on MTV channels. It peaked at #45 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and at #2 on the "Billboard" Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. It was followed by the singles/videos "Back to My Roots" and "A Shade Shady (Now Prance)," which both peaked at #1 on the "Billboard" Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. RuPaul has since released multiple albums, including "Foxy Lady" (1996), the Christmas album "Ho Ho Ho" (1997), "Red Hot" (2004), "Champion" (2009), "Glamazon" (2011), "Born Naked" (2014), "Realness" (2015), the holiday album "Slay Belles" (2015), "Butch Queen" (2016), "Remember Me: Essential, Vol. 1" (2017), "American" (2017), and "Essential, Vol. 2" (2017).
After gaining popularity through his music, RuPaul was signed to a modeling contract for MAC Cosmetics, making him the first drag queen to land a major modeling contract. Then, in 1996, he landed his own talk show on VH1, "The RuPaul Show". Featured guests and musical acts included Diana Ross, Nirvana, Duran Duran, Pat Benatar, Mary J. Blige, Cyndi Lauper, Olivia Newton-John, and the Backstreet Boys. His co-host on the show was Michelle Visage, and together they also co-hosted programming on WKTU radio. "The RuPaul Show" aired for two seasons, from 1996 to 1998. Since 2014, RuPaul and Visage have hosted a podcast together called "RuPaul: What's the Tee? with Michelle Visage."
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RuPaul returned to television in February 2009 with the reality television competition show "RuPaul's Drag Race," which initially aired on Logo. The premise of the program is that drag queens compete to be selected by a panel of judges (which includes RuPaul) as "America's next drag superstar." RuPaul's long-time collaborator, Michelle Visage, is a member of the judging panel. The show was the highest-rated television program on Logo TV and has aired internationally in countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Israel. For its ninth season, the show moved to VH1, where it remained until moving to MTV in 2023. Popular spin-offs from the show include "RuPaul's Drag U," "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars," "RuPaul's Drag Race UK," and "RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race."
In addition to "Drag Race," RuPaul has hosted a few other shows. In 2015, he hosted the plastic surgery-themed talk show "Good Work" on E! along with Dr. Terry Dubrow and Sandra Vergara. The show only aired six episodes. Then, from April 2016 to July 2017, RuPaul hosted the short-lived "Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul" on the Logo cable network. He also had a daytime talk show, "RuPaul," that premiered on June 10, 2019, on selected Fox TV stations. After its three-week test run was over, it was not picked up by the network due to low performance.
RuPaul has a long filmography as an actor, with appearances in films such as "Crooklyn" (1994), "The Brady Bunch Movie" (1995), "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar" (1995), "But I'm a Cheerleader" (1999), and "Hurricane Bianca" (2016). He also has appeared in television series such as Comedy Central's "Broad City" (2017) and Netflix's "Girlboss" (2017), "Grace and Frankie" (2019), and "AJ and the Queen" (2020). He has also hosted the sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live."
Other Ventures
RuPaul partnered with cosmetics manufacturer Colorevolution in 2013 to launch his debut make-up line and beauty collection. Also released along with the line was the unisex perfume "Glamazon."
Personal Life
RuPaul has said "You can call me he. You can call me she…" and has shown indifference for gender pronouns used to refer to him. He makes public appearances as both a male and in drag. He is gay and has been with his husband, Georges LeBar, since 1994. They first met at the Limelight nightclub in New York City and finally tied the knot in January 2017. LeBar is a painter, and runs a ranch in Wyoming.
