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79-537: Hosted by co-creator Lady Bunny , the festival was held in its first years in Tompkins Square Park . According to Lady Bunny, the event began spontaneously in 1984 after a group of drag queens (along with Wendy Wild , NYC artist Scott Lifshutz and a couple of Fleshtones ) became inebriated at the nearby Pyramid Club and decided to put on a show in the park. In the mid-1990s, the Giuliani administration prohibited

158-684: A Quaker boarding school in York , England. Based on her experiences, Bunny regards the English education system to be better than the American one. Upon graduating, she enrolled at the University of Tennessee , where her father teaches, but later relocated to Atlanta, where she attended Georgia State University . Lady Bunny says she has an affinity for trans women and has considered transitioning. She spends her public life in drag and uses she/her pronouns. Lady Bunny

237-641: A Tony Award . He has been dubbed the "Queen of Drag" and is considered the most commercially successful drag queen in the United States, with Fortune saying that he is "easily the world's most famous drag queen." In 2017, RuPaul 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 studied performing arts in Atlanta, Georgia , before relocating to New York City, where he became

316-704: A band called the Now Explosion. Alongside Larry Tee , the two became fixtures on the Atlanta gay scene in the early 1980s. They appeared in a variety of low-budget films, including the Starbooty series. In the episode of RuPaul's Drag Race entitled 'Roast in Peace', RuPaul revealed that he was the first person to ever put Lady Bunny in drag, technically making him her drag mother. RuPaul and Lady Bunny later relocated to New York City together. In 1983, Lady Bunny moved to New York City, where she and RuPaul shared an apartment for

395-406: A beauty collection. Released alongside the line was a unisex perfume entitled " Glamazon ". Talking to World of Wonder he said: "Glamazon is for women and men of all ages and preferences who share one thing in common: They are not afraid to be fierce. For me, glamour should be accessible to all, and I am committed to helping the world look and smell more beautiful." The line was exclusively sold on

474-505: A daytime talk show titled RuPaul premiered. It was cancelled after a three-week test run, since it was not picked by any Fox TV stations. He also appeared in Taylor Swift 's " You Need to Calm Down " music video. In late 2019, the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race UK was released on BBC3 . It was well-received, with The Guardian stating that the British version had "saved"

553-674: A guest "chef". In March 2009, RuPaul released the album Champion . The album spawned four singles " Cover Girl ", " Jealous of My Boogie ", "Devil Made Me Do It", and "Tranny Chaser". The album peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums as well as 26 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. Logo's second annual NewNowNext Awards in 2009 were hosted by RuPaul. There he performed "Jealous of My Boogie (Gomi & RasJek Edit)". In March 2010, RuPaul released his second remix album, Drag Race ,

632-563: A judge. On March 2, 2015, RuPaul released his eighth studio album, Realness . The release coincided with the premiere of the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race . In April, he launched and began hosting a new show, Good Work , a plastic surgery-themed talk show for E! . In October he released his second Christmas album , and ninth studio album, Slay Belles . The album contains ten original Christmas-themed songs and features collaborations with Michelle Visage , Siedah Garrett , Todrick Hall , and Big Freedia . The album charted at 21 on

711-496: 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 eight nominations, including Outstanding Reality-Competition Program for

790-428: A memoir. RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960) is an American drag queen , television host, singer, producer, writer, and actor. He produces, hosts, and judges the reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race and has received several accolades , including 14 Primetime Emmy Awards , three GLAAD Media Awards , a Critics' Choice Television Award , two Billboard Music Awards , and

869-472: A musical guest. On May 4, 2020, it was announced that RuPaul would be on The Price Is Right at Night airing May 11. He also made an appearance in the premiere episode of Canada's Drag Race . In August 2021, RuPaul guest hosted two episodes of the talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! ; he also interviewed RuPaul's Drag Race season 13 winner Symone on the program. He did voice work in Amphibia portraying

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948-430: A new album would be released the week after. The album, named Remember Me: Essential, Vol. 1 was put up for pre-order on February 2 and eventually released the next day. It is a collection of new songs and remakes of classic RuPaul hits that feature new artists. Two singles have been released from the album so far: "Rock It (To The Moon)" which is a new song loosely based on the lyrics and the melody of "Hey Booty" which

1027-520: A popular fixture on the LGBT nightclub scene . He achieved international fame as a drag queen with the release of his debut single, " Supermodel (You Better Work) ". RuPaul was a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics in 1994, raising money for the Mac AIDS Fund and becoming the first drag queen to land a major cosmetics campaign. RuPaul's Drag Race was created in 2009 and has gone on to produce sixteen seasons in

1106-400: A post- transition trans woman would "probably not" be accepted onto the show, noting that at the time of competition Peppermint had not yet had breast implants . After facing criticism on social media and from former contestants for his remarks, RuPaul compared trans drag queens who had transitioned to athletes who had taken performance-enhancing drugs . He subsequently expressed regret for

1185-442: A public service announcement supporting National Voter Registration Day and urging everyone to register. As RuPaul said voter ID laws vary from state to state; the details of the voter ID required in each state are provided by HeadCount and VoteRiders . As one in five LGBTQ adults are not registered to vote, voter registration efforts have expanded recently. Several stars from RuPaul's Drag Race act as Ambassadors for Drag Out

1264-564: A reality television game show which aired on Logo in February 2009. On the program drag queens compete to be selected by RuPaul and a panel of judges as "America's next drag superstar". The first season's winner was BeBe Zahara Benet , and first runner-up Nina Flowers was chosen by fans as "Miss Congeniality" through voting via the show's official website. To publicize the new show, RuPaul appeared on several other shows in 2008, including Project Runway , as guest judge, and on Paula's Party as

1343-552: A segment called "Lady Lessons". During the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race , contestant Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 impersonated Bunny for the Snatch Game. Episode 5 ("Roast in Peace") of the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars features a roast of Lady Bunny at a mock funeral. In 2003, Lady Bunny made a guest appearance in the Sex and the City episode "Boy, Interrupted", as

1422-473: A small donation from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets. The Instagram post RuPaul made prior to the establishment of the fund called on followers to vote, saying, "Register to vote so we can get those stunt queens out of office." The video ends with the statement, "By the way, a social media post has never been as powerful as a registered vote." Lauren Herold of Mic.com deemed RuPaul "arguably

1501-681: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the television industry. RuPaul has made appearances in films, including Crooklyn (1994), The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), and But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), as well as television series, including Girlboss and Broad City (both 2017). He created and starred in the Netflix original series AJ and the Queen (2020). RuPaul has also published four books: Lettin' It All Hang Out (1995), Workin' It! RuPaul's Guide to Life, Liberty, and

1580-569: A talk show of his own on VH1 , called The RuPaul Show interviewing celebrity guests and musical acts. Cher , Diana Ross , Nirvana , Duran Duran , Pat Benatar , Mary J. Blige , Bea Arthur , Dionne Warwick , Cyndi Lauper , Olivia Newton-John , Beenie Man , Pete Burns , Bow Wow Wow , and the Backstreet Boys were notable guests. His co-host was Michelle Visage with whom he also co-hosted on WKTU radio. On one episode, RuPaul featured guests Chi Chi LaRue and Tom Chase speaking about

1659-716: A time. They worked at the Pyramid Club . She remembers that one of the first times she performed in New York she lip-synced Gloria Gaynor's " I Will Survive " and fell during the performance, losing her wig and a shoe. Bunny's performance style during this period blended lip sync, dance, and comedy. Her performances often included self-deprecating commentary, and short criticism of other performers broken up by short bits of dancing. During this period, she also held several odd jobs such as working in an ice cream parlor and in sales for publisher Ralph Ginzburg . Soon, Lady Bunny became one of

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1738-605: Is 70% African and 30% European. After his parents divorced in 1967, RuPaul and his three sisters lived with their mother, a Seventh-day Adventist . He was raised in the Catholic faith and attended Patrick Henry High School . At 15, RuPaul and his sister Renetta moved to Atlanta, where they studied performing arts. RuPaul struggled as a musician and filmmaker during the 1980s, working at Atlanta's Plaza Theatre . In 1982, he debuted on an Atlanta public access variety show called The American Music Show , and went on to appear on

1817-649: Is an American drag queen , nightclub DJ, actor, comedian, and event organizer. She is the founder of the annual Wigstock event, as well as an occasional television and radio personality. She has released disco singles such as " Shame, Shame, Shame! " and "The Pussycat Song", and has hosted two one-woman comedy shows, 'That Ain't No Lady!' and 'Clowns Syndrome'. Lady Bunny was born in Wilmington, North Carolina , but grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee , and describes her childhood as having been "wonderful and [she] lucked out in

1896-546: Is known for her "big curves, bigger hair" and is one of the legendary and ubiquitous New York City drag queens that is still performing today. She is a staple of New York Fashion Week , she tours alongside cabaret shows, and DJs around the globe. She was DJ at Van Cleef & Arpels ' 40th anniversary party in Paris and for the Standard's Black Out Party, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of Naomi Campbell's fashion career. Lady Bunny

1975-589: Is now in the permanent collection of the Hammer Museum , Los Angeles. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lady Bunny produced an online drag show called 'Cuntagious'. In January 2021, she launched a podcast, Ebony and Irony , co-hosted by Monét X Change . Lady Bunny has appeared in films such as Party Girl , Wigstock: The Movie , Wig , Peoria Babylon , Starrbooty , Another Gay Movie , and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar . In 2005, she

2054-612: Is outside of their own belief system. His next two singles/videos, " Back to My Roots " and " A Shade Shady (Now Prance) ", both went to the top spot on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and furthered his campy persona. His following release " House of Love " failed to place on any U.S. charts but peaked at 68 on the UK Singles Chart . RuPaul was signed to a modeling contract for MAC Cosmetics . Various billboards featured him in full drag, often with

2133-467: Is seldom seen out of women's clothing. In a 2022 interview, Lady Bunny said "I guess if I had to label myself, I would say I'm probably nonbinary, but I don't feel the need to stipulate." Lady Bunny currently lives in New York City. She does not often discuss personal matters, and has no known romantic partner or children. In Georgia, Lady Bunny met RuPaul . For a time they were go-go dancers for

2212-547: Is the regular DJ for Empire State Pride Agenda and has served as the in-house DJ for Visionaire and V Magazine. Lady Bunny is a huge music aficionado. Her favorite Blondie song is Fade Away and Radiate . Hideaway by Canadian musical Kiesza is a pop song Lady Bunny regularly spins during DJ sets for its popular and underrated appeal. Lady Bunny has been releasing her own original music since 1996. Lady Bunny has written and run two one-woman comedy shows at LGBT club La Escuelita , 'That Ain't No Lady!' and 'Clowns Syndrome',

2291-512: The Club Kids and in 1985, she organized the first Wigstock , an annual drag queen festival that lasted until 2005, and was later revived in 2018. The idea to revive Wigstock came from Neil Patrick Harris' husband, David Burtka . Wigstock became the subject of Chris Moukarbel 's 2019 documentary Wig , which included Debbie Harry , Kevin Aviance , Willam , and Neil Patrick Harris . Lady Bunny

2370-846: The FBI agent Mr. X. He has been hosting a revival of the game show Lingo for CBS since 2023, as well as the Celebrity Lingo spinoff of the British version of the show on ITV . He won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2022 as a producer of the Broadway musical A Strange Loop . He also voices himself as the announcer on The Tiny Chef Show . HarperCollins published the RuPaul memoir The House of Hidden Meanings in March 2024. The podcast RuPaul: What's

2449-487: The " Drag U Theme Song", and a new song, "Sexy Drag Queen". The second season of RuPaul's Drag U began in June 2011. In late 2011, promotions for season 4 of Drag Race began. RuPaul made appearances on The Rosie Show and The Chew , and also attended a Drag Race NY Premiere party at Patricia Field 's store in New York. Season 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race premiered on Logo on January 30, 2012, with RuPaul returning as

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2528-517: The Colorevolution website in various gift sets. RuPaul and Revolucian both confirmed through their Twitter and Instagram accounts that they had been working on an upcoming seventh studio album. Born Naked was released on February 24, 2014, to coincide with the premiere of the 6th season of RuPaul's Drag Race . Prior to the premiere an album of RuPaul cover songs performed by the Season 6 cast

2607-629: The Dance Floor" which is a re-recording of the 2010 single "Main Event" from the album Champion . On June 22, 2017, it was announced that RuPaul would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the television industry. He was awarded the honor on March 16, 2018, making him the first drag queen to be given the award. In August 2018, it was announced that RuPaul will be releasing his third Christmas album in October 2018. In June 2019,

2686-676: The Pursuit of Style (2010), GuRu (2018), and The House of Hidden Meanings (2024). As a recording artist, he has released fifteen studio albums . RuPaul was born in San Diego on November 17, 1960, the son of Ernestine "Toni" (née Fontenette) and Irving Andrew Charles. His parents were both from Louisiana . He was named by his mother; "Ru" came from roux , the French term for the base of gumbo and other creole stews and soups. According to DNA analysis by Finding Your Roots staff, his ancestry

2765-451: The Tee? With Michelle Visage debuted on April 6, 2014. Ru-Paul co-hosts with longtime friend and fellow RuPaul's Drag Race judge Michelle Visage . The weekly show features their thoughts on topics including behind-the-scenes of RuPaul's Drag Race , life advice, beauty tips, and conversations with featured guests from the entertainment world. In 2018, RuPaul was one of the actors who voiced

2844-482: The US Billboard Dance chart. In January 2016, it was announced RuPaul would present a new game show for Logo TV called Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul which premiered on April 11, 2016, after RuPaul's Drag Race . In February 2016, he announced his tenth album, Butch Queen . It was released in March 2016, just prior to the premiere of the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race . A song from

2923-564: The US Billboard dance chart and 85 on the Billboard 200 chart. In a profile by The New York Times it was revealed that he is currently working on a porcelain statuette of his likeness. On April 9, 2014, RuPaul and Michelle Visage released the first episode of their podcast, RuPaul: What's the Tee? with Michelle Visage . In August, he joined the reality competition show Skin Wars acting as

3002-645: The United States. The show has also seen success internationally and there are several international variants of the show, including RuPaul's Drag Race UK (2019–present) and Canada's Drag Race (2020–present). This has also inspired several spin-offs of the main show, such as RuPaul's Drag U (2010–2012), RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars , (2012–present), and RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race (2020–2022). His other television work includes The RuPaul Show (1996–1998), Skin Wars (2014–2016), Good Work (2015), Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul (2016–2017), and RuPaul (2019). In 2018, RuPaul received

3081-595: The Vote. In March 2023, in response to the Tennessee Adult Entertainment Act, RuPaul, World of Wonder producers Randy Barbarto and Fenton Bailey, and MTV began a fund to fight anti-drag initiatives. The ACLU maintains the fund, which received donations from efforts at DragCon LA 2023, the "Drag Isn't Dangerous" livestream telethon, "Can't Hold us Down", "Born This Way", and "God Save the Queens", as well as

3160-548: The album features remixes of songs from the 2009 album Champion . In April 2011, coinciding with the finale of season 3 of RuPaul's Drag Race , RuPaul released his sixth studio album Glamazon , produced by Revolucian , who previously worked with RuPaul on his album Champion . The album charted on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums and the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart at 11 and 8 respectively. In July 2011, he released another remix EP entitled SuperGlam DQ which features remixes of tracks from Glamazon , remixes of

3239-473: The album was a re-recording of "Supermodel (You Better Work)", which reached number 21 on the U.S. dance chart. June 20, 2007, saw the release of Starrbooty: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack in the United States. The single "Call Me Starrbooty" was digitally released in 2007. The album contains new tracks as well as interludes with dialogue from the movie. The film was released on DVD in October 2007. In mid-2008, RuPaul began producing RuPaul's Drag Race ,

Wigstock - Misplaced Pages Continue

3318-441: The album, "U Wear It Well" was featured in the teaser campaigns for the season and was later officially released as the first single on iTunes in February 2016. The album charted at number 3 on the US Billboard Dance chart, marking his highest position on this chart to date (2016?). "'Be Someone" featuring American singer Taylor Dayne was released as the album's second and final single. Additionally, Butch Queen: The Ru-Mixes

3397-662: The audiobook A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo . Launched through production company World of Wonder , RuPaul's DragCon LA is an annual drag-themed convention held in Los Angeles which started in 2015, followed by RuPaul's DragCon NYC . It began in 2007 in New York City; the public is able to meet with RuPaul, former RuPaul's Drag Race contestants, and other drag queens. The conventions feature performances, meet-and-greet booths, merchandise sales and panel discussions. RuPaul has been an active supporter of voter registration, producing

3476-504: The dance chart. The second, " WorkOut ", peaked at number five. The third and final single from the album "People Are People" a duet with Tom Trujillo, peaked at number 10. The album itself only charted on the Top Electronic Albums chart, where it hit number nine. RuPaul later noted, "Well, betrayed might be the wrong word. 'Betrayed' alludes to an idea that there was some kind of a promise made to me, and there never was. More so, I

3555-548: The emcee at the LGBT prom. In 2021, Lady Bunny featured in NewsBeat , a news show written by Luke Evendon with executive producer Clay Aiken . Lady Bunny worked as a commentator for Star Magazine 's 'Worst of the Week' column. She has also written for Paper Magazine , Interview , Out , Time Out , Visionaire, and Huffington Post . According to her own website, she is currently working on

3634-455: The entertainment industry, particularly the gay press . In one incident, it was noted that Entertainment Weekly refused to review the album, instead asking him to make a comedic contribution to a fashion article. He likened the experience to "a black person being invited to a party, but only if they'll serve." Despite his apparent dissatisfaction with the release, Red Hot' s lead single " Looking Good, Feeling Gorgeous " peaked at number two on

3713-461: The event's early improvised atmosphere; early years of Wigstock often made direct reference to Woodstock (including performance artist John Kelly's send-up of Joni Mitchell and her song "Woodstock"), and Rubnitz's film mimics aspects of the 1970 Woodstock concert film . A second documentary titled Wigstock: The Movie was released in 1995; the festivals captured are larger and more polished, with rock music largely supplanted by house music , and

3792-640: The festival being held in Tompkins Square and Union Square, and moved it to the Hudson River, effectively ensuring it would lose its grassroots activist appeal. Lady Bunny said that 2001's Wigstock would be the last, but in 2003, 2004, and 2005, Wigstock and Bunny returned to Tompkins Square, this time under the auspices of the Howl Festival . In 1987, video artist Tom Rubnitz filmed a 20-minute documentary titled Wigstock: The Movie . Rubnitz's film captures

3871-521: 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 Reality-Competition Program . In 2017, he was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. In 2019, Fortune noted RuPaul as "easily the world's most famous" drag queen. RuPaul has been the subject of multiple controversies regarding his comments and actions towards

3950-584: The franchise. It was renewed for a second season which was released in 2021. RuPaul also created and starred in the Netflix drama-comedy show AJ and the Queen as a drag queen touring the country with an unlikely young sidekick, which was released on January 10, 2020. On March 6, 2020, Netflix announced that the series had been cancelled. Also in January 2020, it was announced that RuPaul would host Saturday Night Live on February 8, 2020, with Justin Bieber as

4029-659: The gay porn industry. Later in the year he released his second album, Foxy Lady , this time on the L.A.-based Rhino Records label. The album failed to chart on the Billboard 200. However, its first single " Snapshot " went to number four on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. It also enjoyed limited mainstream success, charting at 95 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was his second and final solo Hot 100 entry to date. The album's second single " A Little Bit of Love "

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4108-409: The influence of the original Woodstock festival less evident. The 1995 film gained a wider audience and was distributed across the country, then released on video and DVD. The 2019 film Wig by Chris Moukarbel explores the festival's origins, evolution, and 2018 incarnation. Lady Bunny Lady Bunny , previously known as Bunny Hickory Dickory Dock (born Jon Ingle , August 13, 1962),

4187-681: The late 1990s and was hired at WNEW in 2004. In 1993, RuPaul recorded the dance/ house album Supermodel of the World . It was released through the rap label Tommy Boy , spawning the dance track hit " Supermodel (You Better Work) ". The song peaked at 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 . It charted on the UK Singles Chart , peaking on the top 40 at 39. The song found the most success on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, where it peaked at 2. Radio airplay, heavy rotation of

4266-470: The latter receiving praise from the New York Times. Both comedy shows toured globally. Bunny can put together a full drag look within 20 minutes and maintains that every drag look must include faux lashes and a good wig. Her style of drag performance is comedic and often involves the parodying of popular songs. She most often appears in blonde wigs, and frequently performed at XL Nightclub. She has shared

4345-406: The main host and judge. After season 4 ended TV.com declared it was the best reality TV show on television. In the fall of 2012, the spin-off RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars premiered after a large fan demand. The show featured past contestants of the previous four seasons to compete. Season 5 of RuPaul's Drag Race premiered on January 28, 2013, with a 90-minute special and RuPaul returning as

4424-422: The main host and judge. On April 30, 2013, he released a single "Lick It Lollipop" featuring Lady Bunny , who RuPaul previously collaborated with on Champion . On October 25, 2013, he reported via Twitter that the new album would be released in January 2014. In fall of 2013, RuPaul joined forces with cosmetic manufacturers Colorevolution to launch his debut make-up line featuring ultra-rich pigment cosmetics and

4503-583: The most commercially successful drag queen in America." Sami Main of Adweek credited him with creating wider exposure for drag queens from LGBT culture into mainstream society, thanks to his early-career chart success, and later, the successive climb in viewership of RuPaul's Drag Race . His talk show The RuPaul Show was the first-ever national talk show to have a drag queen as a host. Along with his partner Michelle Visage, he welcomed an array of high-profile guests such as Cher , Lil Kim , and Diana Ross over

4582-427: The music video on MTV , and television appearances on popular programs like The Arsenio Hall Show popularized the song. What other people think of me is not my business. What I do is what I do. How people see me doesn't change what I decide to do. I don't choose projects so people don't see me as one thing or another. I choose projects that excite me. I think the problem is that people refuse to understand what drag

4661-549: The one-act science-fiction parody "My Pet Homo", written and directed by Jon Michael Johnson for Cooper Square Productions. He performed for many years at the annual Wigstock drag festival and appeared in the documentary Wigstock: The Movie . In the 1990s, RuPaul appeared on the UK Channel 4 series Manhattan Cable , a weekly series produced by World of Wonder and presented by American Laurie Pike about New York's public-access television system. He also worked at WKTU in

4740-417: The parents department." Her mother is a retired registered nurse and her father is a history professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga . Growing up, she would try on costumes and outfits, and put on plays with the other kids in the neighborhood. Her family lived next to a florist and she would collect the thrown out ribbons in the garbage and turn them into costumes for the plays. When Bunny

4819-493: The producers issued a statement promising "to help spread love, acceptance and understanding" and Logo TV removed the "You've got she-mail" phrase from subsequent broadcasts, replacing it instead with the phrase "She done already done had herses." RuPaul criticized those attempting to police his language in bad faith and noted that tranny referred to transvestites and drag queens, not just trans women. In 2018, RuPaul gave an interview to The Guardian in which he stated that

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4898-419: The same day, the ninth regular season of RuPaul's Drag Race debuted on basic cable channel VH1, home of RuPaul's talk show in the 1990s. It moved from the expanded cable channel Logo TV which aired all previous seasons of the show. The season 9 premiere featured singer Lady Gaga as its guest judge and was a success, with ratings of nearly 1,000,000 viewers making it the series' most viewed episode. The number

4977-516: The show frequently. He also took part in underground cinema , helping create the low-budget film Star Booty and an album of the same name. In Atlanta he often performed at the Celebrity Club, managed by Larry Tee , as a bar dancer or with his band, Wee Wee Pole. RuPaul also performed as a backup singer to Glen Meadmore along with drag queen Vaginal Davis . His first prominent national exposure came in 1989, when he danced as an extra in

5056-555: The show's 100-episode span. As well as having a variety of comedy skits , the show was noted for discussing topics such as black empowerment, female empowerment , misogyny , and liberal politics that were otherwise unheard of in 1990s television at the time. In 1999, RuPaul was awarded the Vito Russo Award at the GLAAD Media Awards for work in promoting equality in the LGBT community . RuPaul has also been noted as having

5135-436: The show's use of words such as tranny and shemale , including the main challenge announcement phrase up to season 6, "You've got she-mail", which they described as transphobic . That year's season also included a "Female or She-male" segment that required contestants to guess whether various photographs featured cisgender "biological women" or "psychological women" (drag queens), causing further criticism. RuPaul and

5214-819: The show, including Sonique , Carmen Carrera , Jiggly Caliente , Monica Beverly Hillz , Kenya Michaels , and Gia Gunn . Later seasons of the show have included contestants who had already disclosed their trans identity prior to their season beginning. In 2017, Peppermint became the first contestant to compete throughout her season as an openly trans woman and in 2021 Gottmik was the first to compete as an openly trans man . Other non-conforming gender identities expressed by former contestants include both non-binary ( Jinkx Monsoon , Aja , Valentina , Divina de Campo , Ginny Lemon , Violet Chachki , and Sasha Velour ) and genderfluid ( Courtney Act and Kelly Mantle ) persons. In 2014, trans activists and former contestants Carmen Carrera and Monica Beverly Hillz criticized

5293-550: The stage with other popular New York City Drag Queens like Bianca del Rio . Lady Bunny was featured on the European leg of the Werq the World Tour. Lady Bunny is featured prominently in "The Tyranny of Consciousness", a 2017 five-channel video installation by video artist Charles Atlas , which premiered at "Viva Arte Viva", the 2017 Venice Biennale , curated by Christine Maciel. The video

5372-540: The text "I am the MAC girl". He also released his autobiography, Lettin' It All Hang Out . He promoted the book in part with a 1995 guest appearance on ABC 's All My Children , in a storyline that put it on the set of Erica Kane 's talk show "The Cutting Edge". The same year, he was featured in his first of two appearances in the Brady Bunch movies , in which he played Jan's female guidance counselor. The next year he landed

5451-422: The transgender community. According to Vox , he has a complicated relationship with this community, in part due to differing philosophies: through drag he seeks to mock gender and identity stereotypes, while in his view the trans community takes identity seriously. Nevertheless, RuPaul's Drag Race has featured a number of contestants who are trans women , some of whom made their identity public while competing on

5530-461: The video for The B-52s ' " Love Shack ". In the early 1990s, RuPaul worked the Georgia club scene and was known by his full birth name. Initially participating in gender bender -style performances, he performed solo and in collaboration with other bands at several New York City nightclubs, most notably the Pyramid Club . He played opposite New York City drag performer Mona Foot (Nashom Benjamin) in

5609-426: Was 11, her family moved to Ghana for a year to accommodate her father, who had received a Fulbright Scholarship . "It was the best year of my life", she said, remembering banana trees in her backyard and a giant snake that slithered on the road. "I still gag West African cab drivers by speaking the remnants of Fante . I can only say a few things, but it tickles them like crazy." She briefly attended Bootham School ,

5688-563: Was a roaster on the Comedy Central roast of Pamela Anderson and released her first DVD, Rated X for X-tra Retarded . Lady Bunny served on the judges' panel on the spinoff show RuPaul's Drag U , which aired on the Logo TV network from 2010 to 2012. Lady Bunny was Dean of Drag and had a role of judge in the first season. In season 2 of RuPaul's Drag U , the Dean of Drag role was expanded into

5767-566: Was disappointed. I don't feel like it was a betrayal. Nobody promises anything in show business and you understand that from day one. But, I don't know what happened. It seemed I couldn't get press on my album unless I was willing to play into the role that the mainstream press has assigned to gay people, which is as servants of straight ideals." On June 13, 2006, RuPaul released ReWorked , his first remix album and fifth album overall. It features reworked versions of songs from his back catalog, as well as new recordings. The only single released from

5846-404: Was double LogoTV's season 8 premiere ratings from the year prior, and triple VH1's usual Friday night viewership in that programming timeslot. World of Wonder Productions announced they were casting contestants for a tenth season when the ratings were released. On June 2, 2017, Essential, Vol. 2 was put up on pre-order on iTunes. It was released on June 9 and preceded by the single "Crying on

5925-555: Was included on the 1998 compilation CD RuPaul's Go Go Box Classics . During this time, he appeared in Webex TV commercials and magazine ads. In 2002, he was featured on the Eurodance track "You're No Lady" alongside Brigitte Nielsen . In 2004, RuPaul released his fourth album, Red Hot on his own RuCo Inc. music label. It received dance radio and club play, but very little press coverage. On his blog he discussed how he felt betrayed by

6004-535: Was not as successful, peaking at 28 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. During this time, RuPaul helped launch the return of WKTU radio in New York City and would serve as host of its morning show until 1998. In 1997, he released his third album, the Christmas-themed Ho Ho Ho . That year, RuPaul teamed with Martha Wash to remake the classic disco anthem, " It's Raining Men ". The song

6083-553: Was released on January 28, 2014. The covers album is titled RuPaul Presents The CoverGurlz and contains RuPaul songs from 2009 to 2013. To further promote the Drag Race season premiere, RuPaul, representing Logo TV (and parent company Viacom ) was chosen to ring the NASDAQ closing bell on February 24, 2014. The week of its release, Born Naked reached number one on the iTunes dance album chart. The following week it placed at number 4 on

6162-813: Was released on the Starrbooty soundtrack in 2007, and an updated version of RuPaul's 1996 hit single "Snapshot" from the album Foxy Lady . The album failed to chart on the Dance Albums Chart but managed to debut at number four on the Billboard Dance Albums Sales Chart in the United States. It also charted at number eleven on the UK Dance Albums Chart, becoming RuPaul's highest-charting album on that chart, after Realness managed to debut and peak at number 13. On March 24, 2017, RuPaul released his eleventh studio album, American . Later on

6241-631: Was released. In July 2016, it was announced that RuPaul was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program . He was presented the award at the September Creative Arts Emmy Awards Ceremony . 2016 also saw the release of the single "Read U Wrote U" that features rap parts by the RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 2 finalists Roxxxy Andrews , Katya Zamolodchikova , Alaska Thunderfuck , and Detox Icunt with production by Ellis Miah . On January 27, 2017, RuPaul announced that

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