RuPaul Never Thought ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Would Become a Global Sensation
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RuPaul stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show to dish on the franchise becoming such a worldwide phenomenon. RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 6 is currently streaming on Paramount+. Today’s episode was guest-hosted by Loni Love, Rupaul’s good friend, and frequent guest judge on the show.
RuPaul Reflects on the Success of the ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Franchise
Before RuPaul came out onto the stage to “Covergirl,” viewers got to see a sneak peek of this week’s RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars episode. The queens will be performing in their own halftime show which is sure to be full of jaw-dropping dance moves. Love thanked him for allowing her to be a part of Season 13. He was out of drag and looked flawless in a yellow suit.
Since its inception in 2009, RuPaul’s Drag Race has expanded to several countries including the newly announced Drag Race Italia. RuPaul actually never thought the show would become what it is today.
“I didn’t think it would be this big,” he said. “I thought that there were people who enjoy it the way I do. I love drag. I love people who don’t take life too seriously and like to have fun. And I like people who are courageous and drag queens throughout history have always had to dance to the beat of their own drummer so I’m there for anyone who can do that.”
Love said that she and RuPaul connect over wigs. She asked the burning question regarding how many wigs RuPaul actually has. After 13 regular seasons of the show and six all-stars seasons, the answer may surprise you. Some of the wigs that RuPaul has are over 24 years old because they are synthetic.
“Is that a trick question?” RuPaul asked. “I call my wigs ‘my girls,’ so most of the girls are two because I need the height and I need the volume. So for each he wigs you see, that’s two wigs right there.”
The Interview Finished with a Sweet Memory That Ru Shared with Kobe Bryant
Some of us are still thinking about Ru’s incredible Season 13 finale performance. The 60-year-old has not performed on stage like that in a long time. Being up on stage again definitely made RuPaul think about starting up his own show in Las Vegas.
I stay active,” Ru said about his stamina. “I was at my trainer this morning at 5 o’clock in the morning and usually I get up very early. “I get up at 3:30 and usually I’m on my bike riding around Hollywood at 4 o’clock in the morning. L.A. is so beautiful at that hour but you know gramps is in bed by 8:30.”
The interview finished off with a very sentimental moment that RuPaul recalled. Love asked Ru if he was ever shocked about a celebrity being a fan of the show. Ru was walking into a hotel in New York with his husband Georges LeBar. Late NBA star Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa were in the hotel lobby and they said that they watched the show.
