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64-466: Todrick Hall (born April 4, 1985) is an American singer, rapper, choreographer, and YouTuber . He gained national attention on the ninth season of the televised singing competition American Idol . Following this, he amassed a huge following on YouTube with viral videos including original songs, parodies , and skits. A documentary series about his video-making process titled Todrick aired on MTV in 2015. Starting with season eight , Hall became
128-403: A folk rocker from Mount Prospect, Illinois , won the competition, beating out fellow folk rocker Crystal Bowersox , who was the runner-up. Multiple contestants from this season were signed to record deals, including DeWyze, Bowersox, Casey James , Michael Lynche , and Siobhan Magnus . Paula Abdul did not return to the judges panel, having announced in the beginning of August 2009 that she
192-401: A Broadway actor". Later Hall stated that he regretted hiding his sexuality on the show: he had a girl wait for his post-audition walk outside with his golden ticket. In August 2010, Hall returned to Broadway in the musical Memphis . Hall feels, in contrast to producing shows and managing staff, that his Broadway work was less stressful as he was an employee who did his job then was done. As
256-622: A docuseries following Hall, would premiere in 2015. On December 20, 2014, Hall produced and appeared in a commercial for the series and featured other celebrities' holiday wishes. Eight episodes of the docuseries were ordered and aired throughout 2015. The soundtrack for the show was released on October 13, 2015. In October 2015, he was picked as Elvis Duran 's Artist of the Month and was featured on NBC 's Today show hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb and broadcast nationally where he performed live his single "Wind It Up". In February 2015, he
320-491: A guest mentor this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed. Shania Twain served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each from her discography , and are listed in the order they performed. Harry Connick, Jr. served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each from the Frank Sinatra discography , and are listed in the order they performed. Jamie Foxx served as
384-424: A guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed two songs: one solo and one duet with a fellow contestant. Contestants are listed in the order they performed. Each contestant performed two songs: one chosen by the judges and one chosen by the contestant. Contestants are listed in the order they performed. Each contestant performed three songs, one of which was chosen by producer Simon Fuller , and are listed in
448-419: A producer he was responsible for every facet of production. Hall's audience has grown considerably: as of June 2019, Hall currently has 3.1 million subscribers on YouTube, and as of March 2018, his videos have been viewed 531.9 million times. Hall's videos include several of his own original songs and music videos, choreographed flash mobs for Ariana Grande and Beyoncé performed in an actual Target store,
512-439: A recurring guest judge for the ninth season which aired throughout 2017. Along with Drag Race , Hall frequently appeared on Logo TV 's game show Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul alongside other celebrities. On June 23, 2016, Todrick self-released his second album, Straight Outta Oz . The album is a visual concept album that uses the imagery of The Wizard of Oz to explore Todrick's own life and rise to fame. He
576-429: A remix video of his breakthrough single, "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels," centered around the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 foldable smartphone. The reworked lyrics -- "Flip, Fold, Snap, Clack"—reference the phone's ability to flip up and fold down. In December 2021, Hall competed in season six of The Masked Singer as "Bull" and finished in second place. In January 2022, it was announced that Hall would be participating in
640-585: A resident choreographer and occasional judge on RuPaul's Drag Race . From 2016 to 2017, Hall starred as Lola in Kinky Boots on Broadway. Later in 2017, he began appearances as Billy Flynn in Chicago on Broadway and the West End . Hall has released four studio albums, including the visual albums Straight Outta Oz (2016) and Forbidden (2018). In 2020, he released an EP, Quarantine Queen , in response to
704-970: A show starring Ryan Kaji, the then-seven-year-old host of the toy review and vlog channel Ryan's World , began airing on the Nick Jr. Channel ; later that year, NBC debuted A Little Late with Lilly Singh in its 1:35 am ET time slot. Singh's digital prominence was cited as a reason for her selection as host by then-NBC Entertainment co-chairman George Cheeks. In 2024, Canadian YouTuber Jasmeet Singh Raina , otherwise known as JusReign, released his half-hour comedy series titled Late Bloomer . In addition to expanding into other forms of media, several YouTubers have used their influence to raise money for charity or speak out on social issues . Notable examples include James Stephen "MrBeast" Donaldson and Mark Rober , who helped raise over $ 20 million with their Team Trees campaign, and Felipe Neto , who publicly criticized Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro for his response to
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#1732863251287768-520: A successful documentary about another gay YouTuber Tyler Oakley . It was screened in select theaters and later released on home video. Later that month he had a guest appearance in the Bob's Burgers Season 8 episode " The Bleakening " as drag queen Miss Triple-Xmas (or Cleavage to Beaver) performing the song "Twinkly Lights". He also released a medley of covers of songs from the Pitch Perfect film series that
832-457: A video of a performance of " Hard to Say Goodbye ," which boosted his subscribers to two million. YouTube became a full-time pursuit for Hall in 2011. He says the platform showcases "how I can write a song, create the concepts, execute them, direct, choreograph and do hair and makeup" as well as perform. Some of his popular videos were the basis of later concert tours like "Twerk Du Soleil" and the "Toddlerz Ball." In August 2009, Hall auditioned for
896-529: A world where all of the most famous Pop Stars of our day all went to high school together. The series portrays and parodies pop stars like Lady Gaga , Beyoncé , Britney Spears , Nicki Minaj , Christina Aguilera , Justin Timberlake , Taylor Swift , Ne-Yo , Kanye West , Eminem , Jay-Z , and Tyga , and draws on the tropes of high school comedy movies. The soundtrack for the series was released on April 1, 2014. On October 22, 2014, MTV announced Todrick ,
960-510: Is a type of content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube , typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006, and subsequently appeared in the 2006 Time Person of the Year issue. Influential YouTubers are frequently described as microcelebrities . Since YouTube
1024-427: Is widely conceived as a bottom-up social media video platform, microcelebrities do not appear to be involved with the established and commercial system of celebrity culture; rather, they appear self-governed and independent. This appearance, in turn, leads to YouTubers being seen as more relatable and authentic, also fostered by the direct connection between artist and viewer using the medium of YouTube. In 2014,
1088-560: The COVID-19 pandemic featuring "Mask, Gloves, Soap, Scrub", and was the international host of Global Pride 2020. Todrick Hall was born on April 4, 1985, in Plainview, Texas , a farming community in the state's panhandle . He was raised by a single mother until she married when he was a teen, when he gained a brother and stepfather. Later the family would move to Dallas. As a child, he adored The Wizard of Oz . As an adult, he would create Oz,
1152-671: The COVID-19 pandemic . In 2020, Time named Neto and fellow YouTuber JoJo Siwa to its annual list of the world's 100 most influential people. Due to this level of influence, in 2013, University of Michigan associate professor Robert Hovden argued for the creation of a new index similar to the g-index and h-index to evaluate a person's output and impact on YouTube. YouTubers can earn revenue from Google AdSense . Additionally, they can supplement their income through affiliate links , merchandising , and 3rd party memberships using platforms such as Patreon . Popular channels have garnered corporate sponsors, who pay to be included in
1216-535: The Haus Party trilogy after being delayed sixteen months past its original release date. On June 8, 2021, Hall released his fourth studio album, Femuline , which was preceded by the singles "Boys in the Ocean" and "Rainin' Fellas". The album is inspired by gay pride and features appearances from Chaka Khan , Tyra Banks , Brandy , Nicole Scherzinger and Ts Madison . In September 2021, Hall and Samsung teamed up for
1280-714: The Rockettes , and Hairspray . Hall relocated to Los Angeles, eventually living in a four-bedroom "nondescript three-story home in the Hollywood Hills ". He joined the video-sharing platform YouTube in May 2006, and made over 300 videos in the next five years. His first video, filmed while still living in Texas, was "a hilarious clip of him singing his order to a McDonald's drive-through speaker (complete with backup singers)". The video has since received over ten million views. In 2008 he uploaded
1344-555: The Rolling Stones discography , and are listed in the order they performed. Miley Cyrus served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each from the list of Billboard number one hits , and are listed in the order they performed. Usher served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed. Contestants chose songs from the Lennon–McCartney discography , and are listed in
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#17328632512871408-708: The University of Southern California surveyed 13–18-year-olds in the United States on whether ten YouTube celebrities or ten traditional celebrities were more influential; YouTube personalities took the first five spots of the ranking, with the YouTube duo Smosh ranking as most influential. The survey was repeated in 2015, and found six YouTubers on the first ranks, with KSI ranked as most influential. Several YouTubers and their influence were subjects for scientific studies, such as Zoella , and PewDiePie . Numerous studies in
1472-473: The ninth season of American Idol in Dallas, Texas. He sang a self-composed song mentioning the judges – Simon Cowell , Randy Jackson , Kara DioGuardi , and guest judge Joe Jonas – to make his case for inclusion in the program. Years later, reflecting on his Idol experiences, Hall said his "fondest memory" was the audition song. All four approved of his participation; he went into Hollywood week and eventually
1536-403: The third season of Celebrity Big Brother as a contestant. He made it into the final three and then placed runner up for the season. During his stint in the show, he was widely criticized for bullying Shanna Moakler and his comments regarding her body, which viewers and critics alike identified as body shaming . Yet another controversy would follow Hall during his stint on the show, after he
1600-744: The Drag Queen , Willam Belli , Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Nicole Scherzinger , Pentatonix , Perez Hilton , and Amber Riley . "Color" ruminates on his first boyfriend, a handsome Londoner, "the first to really know me." Hall announced the Straight Outta Oz Tour to promote the album which originally ran between July 7, and August 12, 2016 in the United States and Canada. The album debuted in ITunes Top Ten Pop Album Chart after its release in late June 2016. The Straight Outta Oz Tour
1664-459: The Musical ; the pop song The Wizard of Ahhhs featuring the pop a cappella quintet Pentatonix ; and the visual album and tour Straight Out of Oz . An elementary teacher in Dallas led Hall toward the arts, including theater, the orchestra, and ballet. Hall is gay, and came out to his family when he was 15. At age 16, he began performing on weekends at the amusement park Six Flags Over Texas ; it
1728-543: The Partner Program, which allows channels that meet certain metrics (currently 1000 subscribers and 4000 public watch hours in the past year) to run ads on their videos and earn money doing so. The Partner Program allowed for the first time YouTube personalities to make a living from the platform. During the 2010s, the ability for YouTubers to achieve wealth and fame due to success on the platform increased dramatically. In December 2010, Business Insider estimated that
1792-434: The competition. The semifinals took place over three weeks, meaning that six men and six women were eliminated, leaving the other six men and six women to form the top 12. The women performed on the first night, and the males the next night. However, the men and women switched on March 2 and March 3, because Crystal Bowersox had been hospitalized due to complications from diabetes . Color key: Contestants are listed in
1856-399: The decline might have included the pending departure of Simon Cowell and the more unpredictable behavior of Ryan Seacrest. Michael Slezak of EW stated, "So you’d think by season 9 — during the inconsequential semifinals, no less — it would be easy to brush off the bad judgment of speed-texting tweens, to process the way-too-early exits of Lilly Scott, Katelyn Epperly, and Alex Lambert (plus
1920-606: The entire platform at once. When the ads were introduced in August 2006, YouTube CEO Chad Hurley rejected the idea of expanding into areas of advertising seen as less user-friendly at the time, saying, "We think there are better ways for people to engage with brands than forcing them to watch a commercial before seeing content. You could ask anyone on the net if they enjoy that experience and they'd probably say no." However, YouTube began running in-video ads in August 2007, with preroll ads introduced in 2008. In December 2007, YouTube launched
1984-450: The final round, where the judges spoke to the contestants one-by-one to tell them whether they had made the final 24. The semifinal format used during the fourth through seventh seasons was revived for this season. Starting with twelve women and twelve men, the women and men performed weekly on separate shows, each performing a Billboard Hot 100 song, and on the results show, the bottom two contestants from each group were eliminated from
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2048-452: The highest earner on YouTube during the previous year was Dane Boedigheimer , creator of the web series Annoying Orange , with an income of around $ 257,000. Five years later, Forbes released its first list of the highest-earning YouTube personalities, estimating top earner PewDiePie 's income during the previous fiscal year at $ 12 million, more than some popular actors such as Cameron Diaz or Gwyneth Paltrow . Forbes estimated that
2112-475: The judges panel because it was not the "right fit" for her. Kara DioGuardi also announced on September 3, 2010, that she would not return as a judge for the tenth season. Auditions began on June 14, 2009, less than a month after the previous season's finale. During this stage, a series of guest judges filled in on the judging panel. Auditions were held in the following cities. Held at the Kodak Theatre for
2176-503: The late 2010s found that YouTuber was the most desired career by children. YouTubers' influence has also extended beyond the platform. Some have ventured into mainstream forms of media, such as Liza Koshy , who, among other pursuits, hosted the revival of the Nickelodeon show Double Dare and starred in the Netflix dance-comedy film Work It . In 2019, Ryan's Mystery Playdate ,
2240-520: The latter of which Beyoncé personally recognized Hall for, musical collaborations with Pentatonix , and personal updates. In May 2011, he released a video audition for the third season of Glee titled "I Wanna Be on Glee", for possible inclusion in the show. Though the video was popular, Hall was not cast in the program. In November 2013, Virgin America produced a pop-music safety video directed by Jon M. Chu with music by Jean-Yves Decornet. Hall wrote
2304-588: The next six months. The first EP, Haus Party, Pt. 1 , with its first single "Glitter" was released May 16, 2019. The EP also contained the hit " Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels ", with a remix featuring Ciara . The EPs were supported by the Haus Party World Tour. Part Two was originally planned to be released in July 2019 but was delayed to September 19, 2019. It was supported by the singles "Wig", "Fag", and "Dripeesha" (the latter featuring Tiffany Haddish ). Part Three
2368-469: The opportunity to view exclusive content by clicking on the ad. The first such ad was for the Fox show Prison Break and solely appeared above videos on Paris Hilton's channel. At the time, the channel was operated by Warner Bros. Records and was cited as the first brand channel on the platform. Participatory video ads were designed to link specific promotions to specific channels rather than advertising on
2432-420: The order they performed. Color key: Chris Golightly was originally selected as semi-finalist. According to reports, Golightly was disqualified on February 17, 2010, after already being told he was in the top 24, over an old contract. The contract had expired by the time the top 24 began to tape, but they disqualified him because he was under contract at the time of the tryouts, in violation of Idol rules. He
2496-427: The order they performed. Contestants are listed in the order they performed. Contestants are listed in the order they performed. There were eleven weeks of finals with twelve contestants competing. At least one contestant was eliminated every week based on the public's votes, although the judges could veto one elimination through the use of the "judges' save." Color key: Contestants performed one song each from
2560-472: The order they performed. The judges chose to use their "judges' save" when Michael Lynche was announced as the performer to be eliminated. As a result, no one was eliminated this week. Adam Lambert served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each from the Elvis Presley discography , and are listed in the order they performed. Two contestants were eliminated. Alicia Keys served as
2624-565: The panel of Dance Captains for the second series of The Greatest Dancer alongside the other Dance Captains Cheryl , Oti Mabuse and Matthew Morrison . From November 2019 to January 2020 Hall will play the lead, Billy Flynn , in the West End version of the musical Chicago . In February 2020, Hall released a song for Disneyland 's new twice daily parade, called "Magic Happens". Hall "learned to dance by watching Disney parades". On April 27, 2020, Hall announced on social media that he had spent
Todrick Hall - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-465: The past week writing and recording an EP entitled Quarantine Queen (themed around the COVID-19 pandemic ). The album was released on April 29, 2020. In May 2020 Hall signed with CAA Management. On November 26, 2020, Hall released a live album of the Haus Party world tour recorded in Atlanta , alongside a full video recording for free on YouTube. On February 12, 2021, Hall released the third volume of
2752-612: The season premiere in January 2010. Ellen DeGeneres confirmed on September 9, 2009, that she would be joining the show as the new permanent fourth judge for the rounds held at CBS Television City for Hollywood Week and thereafter. Additionally, Simon Cowell announced shortly before the ninth season began that it would be his last season on American Idol . Cowell left the show to begin preparations for an American version of his singing competition The X Factor . Ellen DeGeneres also announced on July 29, 2010, that she would not return to
2816-424: The second straight year, the first day of Hollywood Week featured the 181 contestants from the auditions round singing solo with the option of playing an instrument. Ellen DeGeneres made her first appearance as a judge at this time. 96 contestants advanced. The next round required the contestants to split into groups and perform. 71 advanced to the final round of Hollywood requiring a solo performance. 46 made it to
2880-556: The semi-finals. In the Top 24, he sang Kelly Clarkson 's " Since U Been Gone ", and in the Top Twenty performed Tina Turner 's " What's Love Got to Do with It ". He was eliminated in the Top 16 on March 11, 2010, after his rendition of Queen's " Somebody to Love ;" he was one of four contestants eliminated in that round, and thus ranked between 13th and 16th overall. Judge Simon Cowell dismissively told Hall he "wouldn't amount to anything beyond
2944-607: The single, "Dance Forever". Hall announced a relationship with model David Borum via an Instagram post in May 2021. In 2019, several former dancers and collaborators on Hall's YouTube videos and visual albums accused him of never compensating them for their work. Hall has denied these allegations. Also in 2019, Hall's former assistant shared documents alleging Hall was involved in a sexual harassment lawsuit, and that he witnessed predatory behavior. The allegations were reiterated in 2022 following Hall's controversial appearance on Celebrity Big Brother . YouTuber A YouTuber
3008-658: The song and lyrics and starred in the video. In December 2013, Hall released a Christmas album entitled Dear Santa , with covers of " This Christmas " and " Sleigh Bells ", produced by wiidope as well as original songs "So Cold" and "SplitsOnXmasTrees". Hall did a choreographed flash mob in a Target store to Beyoncé 's " End of Time " prompting her to hire Hall as a choreographer on her roller-disco video, " Blow " which came out in November 2013. From April 1 to May 13, 2014, Hall released an eight episode web series on his YouTube channel called Pop Star High . The series takes place in
3072-459: The sort-of-maybe-too-early ouster of Todrick Hall), and move on. So why do the ritual killings of the dreams of four indisputably flawed semifinalists feel like they’re part of something bigger, a shifting of the tectonic plates at the core of the Idol universe?" This season of American Idol was the top show for the 2009–10 season of broadcast primetime shows. Its Tuesday and Wednesday episodes occupied
3136-424: The tenth-highest earner that year was Rosanna Pansino at $ 2.5 million. That year, NME stated that " vlogging has become big business." The rapid influx of wealth within the YouTube community has led some to criticize YouTubers for focusing on earnings more than the creativity and connection with their fanbase that some claim was at the heart of the platform before expanded monetization. In August 2021, it
3200-505: The two had become friends in 2015, and would collaborate on several projects. From November 30, 2017, to January 14, 2018, played Billy Flynn in a limited engagement role in Chicago . During his tenure, the show had its best-grossing week in its 21-year Broadway history. In December he released the documentary film Behind the Curtain about the production behind Straight Outta Oz filmed in conjunction with AwesomenessTV who had released
3264-437: The videos. In 2018, Walmart , Nordstrom , and others sought YouTube stars as influencers . In the early days of YouTube, there was no way to monetize videos on the platform. Much of the site's content was homemade and produced by hobbyists with no plans for making money on the site. The first targeted advertising on the site came in the form of participatory video ads, which were videos in their own right that offered users
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#17328632512873328-466: Was accompanied by an expanded deluxe edition that included songs that were featured on the tour but not on the original version of the album. Additionally, the album included an extended version and new video for "Wrong Bitch" featuring Bob the Drag Queen , and a rerecorded version of Todrick's previous single "Low" featuring RuPaul . In August 2017, he had a cameo as a back-up dancer in the music video for Taylor Swift 's song, " Look What You Made Me Do ";
3392-417: Was brought on as a replacement for Paula Abdul after a series of guest judges filled in during the auditions. Idol Gives Back also returned on April 21, 2010. The top 24 semifinal format used in the fourth through seventh seasons also returned this season. Cowell, DioGuardi, and DeGeneres all left the show after this season, although only Cowell's departure was announced in advance. Lee DeWyze ,
3456-532: Was cast in the ensemble, and as understudy for the role of Harpo. Barrino rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality singing competition American Idol , and working with her would inspire Hall to later audition for the show as well. After The Color Purple he performed in Memphis: The Musical and touring productions of Beauty and the Beast , Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring
3520-407: Was featured on the Pitch Perfect 3 Special Edition soundtrack. In March 2018 he released his new visual album follow-up to Straight Outta Oz called Forbidden . To promote the album, Hall embarked on Forbidden: The Tour across the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. In May 2019, Hall revealed that he will be releasing a trilogy of extended plays to be released across
3584-409: Was heard on camera discussing how he charges $ 250 for a cameo.com video request, despite "not making [them] too personalized because [he does] so many." Hall received additional backlash after viewers witnessed the unfounded personal attacks and defamation attempts he made towards Chris Kirkpatrick on the live feeds. On June 1, 2022, Hall released his fifth album, Algorhythm, which was preceded by
3648-403: Was inspired to create the project after seeing Disney's Zootopia , Lin-Manuel Miranda 's Hamilton , and Beyoncé 's visual album Lemonade . The album has seventeen songs, the tour had over twenty; it took about six weeks to write, and then filming the videos happened in two weeks. The project's first video was posted to YouTube on June 23, 2016. The videos had cameos from Kim Chi , Bob
3712-606: Was interrupted by Hall's casting in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots . They offered the lead in Kinky Boots "without even auditioning, because they felt my story was so similar to that of Lola's", a drag queen cabaret performer. Hall's performance was well received by critics. He performed 155 shows from November 1, 2016, to March 1, 2017. The Straight Outta Oz Tour was revived in 2017 and ran between March 30, and June 5, in various North American, European, and Australian locations. It
3776-409: Was later replaced by Tim Urban at the last minute of the last part of Hollywood Week. Ryan Seacrest was criticized by TheWrap and MSNBC Entertainment for "critiquing the judges’ comments" and becoming more aggressive. Ratings for this season dropped significantly compared to the previous two seasons, leading to speculation that it might be coming to a close. It was speculated that reasons for
3840-520: Was leaving the show due to unresolved contract negotiations. Victoria Beckham , Mary J. Blige , Shania Twain , Katy Perry , Avril Lavigne , Joe Jonas , Neil Patrick Harris , and Kristin Chenoweth were brought on as guest judges during the auditions. After making the decision to utilize guest judges in Abdul's absence, Fox chairman Peter Rice stated that they would find a permanent fourth judge before
3904-477: Was released in February 2021. On June 17, 2019, Hall appeared in and co-executive produced the music video for singer-songwriter Taylor Swift 's song " You Need to Calm Down ". Hall also helped recruit guests for the cameo-filled video. In June 2019, Hall announced that he will be returning to Broadway to play Ogie Anhorn in the musical Waitress opposite fellow YouTuber Colleen Ballinger . In August 2019 he joined
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#17328632512873968-659: Was reported Kevin Paffrath made $ 5 million in just the first 3 months of 2021 and his YouTube analytics showed he made "several million" in ad revenue within the prior 12 months. By 2021, YouTuber earnings had expanded even more, with Forbes estimating that the highest earner that year was MrBeast at $ 51 million. American Idol season 9 The ninth season of American Idol premiered on Fox on Tuesday, January 12, 2010, and concluded on Wednesday, May 26, 2010. Simon Cowell , Kara DioGuardi , and Randy Jackson returned as judges and were joined by Ellen DeGeneres , who
4032-477: Was the first artist featured on VH1 's Huge on the Tube series . Hall first appeared as a guest judge on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race for an episode which featured a Wizard of Oz -inspired challenge and aired April 11, 2016; they did not know his lifelong passion for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . Hall reappeared as a full-time judge for RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 2 later in 2016 and returned as
4096-485: Was the first time he combined singing and dancing. He also performed on cruises with Royal Caribbean , Holland America Line , and at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts . Hall has said that his work ethic comes from the lack of opportunities he had in the entertainment industry as a black gay man. When Hall was twenty he auditioned for the Broadway production of The Color Purple with Oprah Winfrey and Fantasia Barrino . He
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