Werk onerous play onerous. RuPaul’s internet value is why she’ll at all times be one in all Hollywood’s most profitable drag queens. However earlier than we dive into how a lot RuPaul is value, let’s look again on her profession and ascent into the drag icon she is at present.
RuPaul, whose full identify is RuPaul Andre Charles, was born in San Diego, California, on November 17, 1960. Her mother and father divorced in 1967, and he or she went on to stay along with her mother and three sisters. At 15 years previous, RuPaul moved to Atlanta to pursue a profession as a performer. Within the years that adopted, RuPaul went on to work as a backup singer for Glen Meadore and alongside drag queen icon Vaginal Davis. In 1993, RuPaul launched her debut studio album, Supermodel of the World, which featured the hit single, “Supermodel (You Higher Work).” RuPaul went on to signal a modeling contract with MAC Cosmetics and publish an autobiography, Lettin’ It All Hold Out
.
In 1996, she grew to become the host of her personal speak present, The RuPaul Present, which grew to become the beginning of the TV internet hosting profession earlier than the position most followers know him for at present: the host of RuPaul’s Drag Race. RuPaul’s Drag Race, a actuality TV competitors that pits drag queens towards one another in artistic challenges, premiered on Brand TV in 2009. The present moved to VH1 in 2017 and has since launched greater than a dozen seasons, in addition to spinoffs.
In her autobiography, RuPaul revealed that she makes use of each he/him and he or she/her pronouns. “You possibly can name me he. You possibly can name me she. You possibly can name me Regis and Kathie Lee; I don’t care! Simply so long as you name me.” There’s little doubt RuPaul is without doubt one of the most profitable drag queens of all time. So what’s RuPaul’s internet value? Learn on for what we learn about how a lot RuPaul is value and what she makes on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Picture: Courtesy of VH1.
What does RuPaul make from RuPaul’s Drag Race?
TV Information reported in 2013 that RuPaul made $50,000 per episode of Drag Race. On the time, Drag Race would produce between round 9 and 16 episodes per season, so on yr, RuPaul would take dwelling round $800,000 per season for her position because the host, head decide, mentor of Drag Race. She additionally has a producing credit score on the present. Nevertheless, that was what RuPaul’s wage was again then when Drag Race was on Brand and never VH1. It’s unclear how a lot Ru makes per episode now.
In an interview with Time in 2017, RuPaul talked about how RuPaul’s Drag Race launched drag to a wider viewers throughout the US. “I believe it has damaged by with many individuals, however when it comes to the essential mass, it’s nonetheless not likely damaged by, and it could possibly’t break by, as a result of it will require the essential mass to have a look at themselves with X-ray eyes, and perceive who they’re past what it says on their driver’s license. And that may be a tall order for the essential mass,” she mentioned on the time. “Most individuals don’t know that there’s a consciousness past the ideas that they assume.”
She continued, “And drag is the bodily embodiment of understanding who we actually are. And who we actually are is, for lack of a greater time period, God experiencing humanity, God experiencing life in human type and having enjoyable with it. Drag takes it to the subsequent degree, which is — Oh, I can do no matter I need? Yeah, you possibly can! Most individuals assume, Oh, I’ve to decide on one factor and keep it up perpetually.”
RuPaul additionally talked about how the opinion of drag was a lot completely different when RuPaul’s Drag Race first premiered in 2009. “When our present began, drag had been method underground, in all probability greater than it had been in no less than 40 years, as a result of the Bush period of worry, 9/11 and all that was actually horrible for drag. When our present began, it was a part of — it wasn’t chargeable for, nevertheless it was a part of — this greater motion, this opening up that got here together with Obama and so many different issues globally that had been open,” she mentioned.
RuPaul additionally instructed Oprah Winfrey in a previous interview why she was drawn to tug within the first place. “You understand, I’m an opportunist and a show-off, so I knew present enterprise could be my path,” she mentioned. “I didn’t understand how it will work, however I stored an open thoughts. Then I used to be in bands in Atlanta, and drag type of occurred to us. It was very completely different from the sort I do now—it was punk rock, with fight boots and smeared lipstick. However I knew I had energy in drag due to the response I obtained from individuals.”
She additionally defined why drag has turn into so well-liked, particularly with youthful generations. “There’s a brand new breed of younger individuals on the market. We do a conference referred to as DragCon, and the children who come are good. They’ve virtually obtained a brand new perception system that’s utterly of the twenty first century. Our present speaks to that forward-thinking voice. They see the children on our present overcoming adversities and notice, I can do this,” she mentioned.
What’s RuPaul’s internet value?
Picture: ©Brand / Courtesy: Everett Assortment.
The query all of us wish to know: What’s RuPaul’s internet value? Based on Movie star Web Value, RuPaul is value $60 million, which accounts for the cash she makes from Drag Race, in addition to different shops. Together with Drag Race, RuPaul has launched 13 studio albums. She’s additionally an government producer and creator on Drag Race spinoffs, like Canada’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Secret Movie star Drag Race. In January 2020, Ru additionally was the creator and star of the Netflix sequence, AJ and the Queen. The present was cancelled after one season. RuPaul’s internet value additionally contains the cash she constituted of different tasks, resembling her 2013 make-up line with Colorevolution, her fragrance “Glamazon” and the gross sales from her books: 1996’s Lettin’ It All Hold Out and 2010’s Workin It!.
In an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Present in 2022, RuPaul revealed probably the most shocking factor she’s completed for cash earlier than she grew to become a multi-millionaire. “I used to promote dime baggage,” she mentioned. “Little baggage which have dimes in them. You understand, it’s useful. As a result of a whole lot of occasions, persons are driving automobiles they usually wish to park a automotive, they don’t have dimes. You want dimes to place within the meter. So, I might inform them to.”
RuPaul instructed Cash in 2018 that her success comes from the work ethic her mother and father taught her. “My mother and father had been nation individuals from Louisiana who endured racism and had been systematically put down [by others]. They inherited that idea of themselves from their mother and father, and I inherited it from them,” she mentioned. “So I needed to break the shackles of who I believed I used to be. It’s essential to know you could’t deliver everybody with you. Sure individuals really feel, as soon as they cross a sure threshold of wealth, that they must deliver everyone from the neighborhood with them, or their entire household. Plenty of performers could have their love curiosity as their supervisor—that’s additionally an enormous mistake. There are just a few exceptions. Céline Dion was very profitable having her love curiosity as her supervisor, however what number of Céline Dions are there?”
As for a way she spends her cash, RuPaul instructed Cash that her robes for every season of RuPaul’s Drag Race price round $10,000 every, with 14 robes per season. “You understand, years in the past, lace-front wigs had been very costly,” she mentioned. “They’re not as costly anymore as a result of they’ve machines that make them. However years in the past, once I was shopping for lace-front wigs, it will be two wigs: the entrance, which had the lace on it, and the again, which was a assist wig. It emulated your individual hairline and was measured to suit your head. It was bespoke. And that may price about $1,500 [back then]. Now you may get a lace-front wig for $80. It’s made by a machine and made for everyone, so it’s a must to cross your fingers and hope it really works.”
Whereas she is aware of some numbers, RuPaul instructed Cash that she’s by no means calculated the entire quantity she’s spend on her drag wardrobe. “I do know the tip result’s value 1,000,000 {dollars} [laughs]. It’s actually all concerning the finish end result and what impact it has on individuals. I don’t understand how a lot it prices. It’s lots. It takes lots of people. I’ve hair individuals and make-up individuals and individuals who assist me get all of it on. It’s an enormous manufacturing,” she mentioned.
RuPaul’s Drag Race is out there to stream on Hulu. Right here’s watch it free of charge.
Our mission at STYLECASTER is to deliver model to the individuals, and we solely characteristic merchandise we predict you’ll love as a lot as we do. Please be aware that if you are going to buy one thing by clicking on a hyperlink inside this story, we could obtain a small fee of the sale.
