WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.580 Okay, let's unpack this. We are diving deep into 00:00:02.580 --> 00:00:05.280 the phenomenon, the force of nature. That is 00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:07.400 RuPaul Andre Charles. If you think you know the 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:10.300 story of the host of Drag Race, well, think again. 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:12.500 We're talking about someone who started out as 00:00:12.500 --> 00:00:15.259 this like underground icon in the gritty Atlanta 00:00:15.259 --> 00:00:19.920 scene and is now, I mean, a certified global... 00:00:20.710 --> 00:00:23.149 media mogul. Fortune magazine didn't really mince 00:00:23.149 --> 00:00:25.649 words, did they? They called him arguably the 00:00:25.649 --> 00:00:27.690 most commercially successful drag queen in the 00:00:27.690 --> 00:00:30.089 United States. And that commercial success, it's 00:00:30.089 --> 00:00:33.189 matched only by his absolute media dominance. 00:00:33.469 --> 00:00:35.229 It's incredible. We're tracing the life of a 00:00:35.229 --> 00:00:37.369 drag queen, sure, but also a television host, 00:00:37.409 --> 00:00:39.170 singer, producer, writer and actor all rolled 00:00:39.170 --> 00:00:41.390 into one. And when you look at the accolades, 00:00:41.429 --> 00:00:44.149 I mean, the scale is just. It's unbelievable. 00:00:44.530 --> 00:00:47.289 14 Primetime Emmy Awards. That makes him the 00:00:47.289 --> 00:00:49.030 most awarded person of color in Emmy history. 00:00:49.210 --> 00:00:51.390 Plus a Tony Award as a producer, no less, and 00:00:51.390 --> 00:00:53.270 even a Guinness World Records title. He didn't 00:00:53.270 --> 00:00:55.210 just break into the mainstream. He kind of built 00:00:55.210 --> 00:00:57.409 this, like, platinum -plated throne right in 00:00:57.409 --> 00:00:59.450 the middle of it. Absolutely, yeah. So our mission 00:00:59.450 --> 00:01:01.789 today, really, is to trace that phenomenal journey. 00:01:02.270 --> 00:01:03.850 It's sometimes a contradictory one, isn't it? 00:01:03.890 --> 00:01:06.189 Look at the foundations, you know, the Torma 00:01:06.189 --> 00:01:08.909 and self -creation back in the 80s. We'll analyze 00:01:08.909 --> 00:01:11.209 how he managed to penetrate the notoriously straight 00:01:11.209 --> 00:01:14.060 corporate world in the 90s. story in itself and 00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:16.459 then yeah dissect the staggering scale of the 00:01:16.459 --> 00:01:19.260 drag race dynasty but crucially we have to look 00:01:19.260 --> 00:01:21.799 impartially at the complexities you know the 00:01:21.799 --> 00:01:25.459 activism the identity controversies and those 00:01:25.459 --> 00:01:27.700 surprising business decisions like his involvement 00:01:27.700 --> 00:01:30.239 in environmentally criticized practices that's 00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:31.680 something we need to touch on we're basically 00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:33.239 following the sources here to understand how 00:01:33.239 --> 00:01:36.379 the ultimate shapeshifter built his world okay 00:01:36.379 --> 00:01:38.519 so to understand the global icon we really have 00:01:38.519 --> 00:01:41.310 to start with the human right RuPaul Andre Charles, 00:01:41.549 --> 00:01:44.069 born November 17, 1960, San Diego, California. 00:01:44.349 --> 00:01:46.629 His parents were originally from Louisiana, and 00:01:46.629 --> 00:01:48.969 he often talks about his upbringing as happening 00:01:48.969 --> 00:01:51.670 in a broken home. Hmm. Catholic background, apparently 00:01:51.670 --> 00:01:53.590 facing some financial struggles, too. Right. 00:01:53.730 --> 00:01:56.129 And the name itself, it tells a story of those 00:01:56.129 --> 00:01:58.109 roots, doesn't it? He was named by his mother, 00:01:58.269 --> 00:02:01.549 Ernestine Toni Charles. And that key, short name, 00:02:01.689 --> 00:02:04.629 Ru? It comes directly from Roux, R -O -U -X, 00:02:04.849 --> 00:02:07.450 which, you know, any southern cook knows is that 00:02:07.450 --> 00:02:10.590 fundamental French base, the thickener for gumbo 00:02:10.590 --> 00:02:13.449 and Creole stews. Ah, OK. So it signifies something 00:02:13.449 --> 00:02:15.849 foundational. Exactly. Foundational. And later 00:02:15.849 --> 00:02:18.569 in life, DNA analysis kind of cemented his heritage, 00:02:18.729 --> 00:02:21.770 too. Showed roughly 70 percent African and 30 00:02:21.770 --> 00:02:24.750 percent European ancestry. But the sources, they 00:02:24.750 --> 00:02:26.430 make it pretty clear that his childhood was, 00:02:26.449 --> 00:02:28.509 well, far from stable. We can't really gloss 00:02:28.509 --> 00:02:30.689 over the traumatic event he's discussed, which 00:02:30.689 --> 00:02:33.210 he himself called pivotal. Really pivotal to 00:02:33.210 --> 00:02:35.129 his later psychological state. This happened 00:02:35.129 --> 00:02:37.030 after his mother found out his father was having 00:02:37.030 --> 00:02:39.969 an affair. And in this, like, fit of immense 00:02:39.969 --> 00:02:42.050 distress, she tried to set their house and his 00:02:42.050 --> 00:02:45.789 father's car on fire. Yeah, that's... That's 00:02:45.789 --> 00:02:48.449 intense. The source is, quote, RuPaul describing 00:02:48.449 --> 00:02:51.050 the effect of that event as causing this profound 00:02:51.050 --> 00:02:54.330 dissociation where he essentially kind of disconnected 00:02:54.330 --> 00:02:56.590 himself from his body and the reality of the 00:02:56.590 --> 00:02:58.990 moment. That kind of early trauma, the volatility, 00:02:59.310 --> 00:03:01.729 the dramatic collapse of the traditional home 00:03:01.729 --> 00:03:04.009 structure. It's really crucial context, I think, 00:03:04.050 --> 00:03:06.689 for understanding why he later adopted drag. 00:03:06.789 --> 00:03:09.569 Drag for him seems to have become this ultimate 00:03:09.569 --> 00:03:13.550 form of escapism, but also control. Like a way 00:03:13.550 --> 00:03:15.870 to shape a beautiful identity out of all that 00:03:15.870 --> 00:03:18.969 chaos. And that need for self -determination, 00:03:19.050 --> 00:03:20.830 it showed up pretty quickly in his school life, 00:03:20.949 --> 00:03:22.830 didn't it? He dropped out of Patrick Henry High 00:03:22.830 --> 00:03:24.689 School. Was it 10th grade? 10th grade, yeah. 00:03:24.949 --> 00:03:27.310 But rather than just drifting, he made a really 00:03:27.310 --> 00:03:29.389 deliberate move, almost urgent it sounds like, 00:03:29.389 --> 00:03:32.990 towards the arts. Precisely. At just 15, he moves 00:03:32.990 --> 00:03:35.810 with his sister Renetta to Atlanta, specifically 00:03:35.810 --> 00:03:38.969 to study performing arts. And you've got to remember, 00:03:39.090 --> 00:03:42.319 Atlanta in the late 70s, early 80s. It was this 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:45.340 artistic incubator, you know, especially for 00:03:45.340 --> 00:03:48.039 people pushing boundaries. He initially struggled, 00:03:48.139 --> 00:03:49.960 worked for a bit at Atlantis Plaza Theater, but 00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:52.819 he was committed, committed to music and filmmaking, 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:55.699 really laying the groundwork there for what became 00:03:55.699 --> 00:03:58.379 this, like, multidisciplinary career. And he 00:03:58.379 --> 00:04:01.039 didn't just, like, join the scene. He kind of 00:04:01.039 --> 00:04:02.599 helped define the underground scene, didn't he? 00:04:02.659 --> 00:04:05.039 His debut was on Atlanta's public access show, 00:04:05.139 --> 00:04:07.849 the American Music Show, back in 82. Yeah, that 00:04:07.849 --> 00:04:09.810 show was something else. Public access, super 00:04:09.810 --> 00:04:12.430 low budget, high concept, really irreverent. 00:04:12.449 --> 00:04:14.710 And he became this frequent boundary pushing 00:04:14.710 --> 00:04:16.550 guest on it. It was a perfect platform for him 00:04:16.550 --> 00:04:18.509 then. That public access stuff led right into 00:04:18.509 --> 00:04:20.790 underground cinema, didn't it? It did. And this 00:04:20.790 --> 00:04:22.889 wasn't Hollywood. You know, this was raw DIY 00:04:22.889 --> 00:04:25.730 creation. He created and starred in this low 00:04:25.730 --> 00:04:28.329 budget film called Star Booty, and he released 00:04:28.329 --> 00:04:31.029 an album with the same name. This project, he 00:04:31.029 --> 00:04:33.920 often calls it trash cinema. It showed this really 00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:36.019 early understanding that he could craft his own 00:04:36.019 --> 00:04:38.480 narrative and distribute it himself, even if 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:40.800 it was just to a niche audience at first. What's 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:42.699 fascinating about his live performance scene 00:04:42.699 --> 00:04:45.699 in the 80s is just how varied it was. All the 00:04:45.699 --> 00:04:47.360 different things he was doing, performing at 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:50.040 Atlanta's... celebrity club that was managed 00:04:50.040 --> 00:04:52.600 by Larry T, right? Who became a big name himself. 00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:56.319 Yeah, Larry T. And RuPaul's acts were truly gender 00:04:56.319 --> 00:04:58.839 bender style. Like he worked as a bar dancer 00:04:58.839 --> 00:05:01.540 sometimes, but also performed with his band Wee 00:05:01.540 --> 00:05:04.319 Wee Pole. Wee Wee Pole, the name alone. Tells 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:06.439 you everything, right? Irreverent is the word. 00:05:06.540 --> 00:05:09.060 The sources also mention him working as a backup 00:05:09.060 --> 00:05:12.019 singer for Glenn Meadmore alongside another now 00:05:12.019 --> 00:05:14.579 legendary figure, the drag queen Vaginal Davis. 00:05:14.980 --> 00:05:17.259 This whole period was about honing the craft, 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:19.730 you know. Not just performance, but the shock 00:05:19.730 --> 00:05:22.769 factor, the theatricality that became his trademark. 00:05:23.110 --> 00:05:25.529 Okay, so we've got this talented, boundary -pushing 00:05:25.529 --> 00:05:28.329 artist in the Atlanta underground. But how did 00:05:28.329 --> 00:05:31.149 that jump happen, the jump to national consciousness? 00:05:31.870 --> 00:05:33.490 It's kind of subtle at first, wasn't it? Like 00:05:33.490 --> 00:05:35.410 people probably saw him without knowing who he 00:05:35.410 --> 00:05:37.649 was. Oh, yeah. The power of the early music video 00:05:37.649 --> 00:05:40.209 era. That's exactly it. Yeah. He appeared as 00:05:40.209 --> 00:05:43.449 a dancer, an extra, in the B -52's Love Shack 00:05:43.449 --> 00:05:46.490 video, 1989. That was Shaq. That song was massive. 00:05:46.629 --> 00:05:48.509 It was absolutely massive. So it provided this 00:05:48.509 --> 00:05:51.230 key, yeah, maybe anonymous, but still a visual 00:05:51.230 --> 00:05:54.029 connection to broader mainstream culture, right 00:05:54.029 --> 00:05:55.870 as he was starting to split his time between 00:05:55.870 --> 00:05:58.430 Atlanta and New York City. So by the early 90s, 00:05:58.430 --> 00:06:00.290 the sources place him working the Georgia club 00:06:00.290 --> 00:06:02.879 circuit. but also doing those signature gender 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:06.199 -bender acts in NYC, places like the Pyramid 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:08.740 Club, which was iconic. Totally iconic. And crucially, 00:06:08.779 --> 00:06:11.540 he became this regular, high -profile performer 00:06:11.540 --> 00:06:15.500 at the annual Wigstock Drag Festival. He even 00:06:15.500 --> 00:06:18.019 appeared in the documentary Wigstock, the movie. 00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:21.740 So this sustained, high -energy, two -city underground 00:06:21.740 --> 00:06:24.560 existence, that was the launchpad. He was perfecting 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:27.199 the persona just before... Well, just before 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:29.560 the explosion. Yeah. And it's important to note 00:06:29.560 --> 00:06:31.399 that shift in identity he was playing with, right? 00:06:31.500 --> 00:06:34.100 Right. He was using drag, yeah, but his style 00:06:34.100 --> 00:06:36.699 was really rooted in defying rigid categories. 00:06:36.740 --> 00:06:39.720 He was this creature of the club kid scene, post 00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:42.800 -punk, gender fluid New York, which allowed him 00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:45.720 to burst onto the scene in 93, not just as a 00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:48.660 drag queen, but as this hyper -glamorous, hyper 00:06:48.660 --> 00:06:52.730 -visible... And that explosion has arrived in 00:06:52.730 --> 00:06:56.009 1993. Yeah. And man, it was loud. This is the 00:06:56.009 --> 00:06:58.790 era of supermodel. The moment RuPaul basically 00:06:58.790 --> 00:07:01.470 became a household name. Yeah. And the circumstances 00:07:01.470 --> 00:07:03.430 around that album, Supermodel of the World, are 00:07:03.430 --> 00:07:06.310 fascinating. It was this high energy dance house 00:07:06.310 --> 00:07:09.389 album released on a rap label, Tommy Boy Records. 00:07:09.649 --> 00:07:12.250 Right. That juxtaposition. Exactly. Think about 00:07:12.250 --> 00:07:15.009 it. A full glam, like six foot seven drag queen 00:07:15.009 --> 00:07:17.509 releasing a chart focused album on a label known 00:07:17.509 --> 00:07:20.579 for hip hop. It really speaks to the... A shrewd 00:07:20.579 --> 00:07:23.019 marketing foresight, I think, of the producers 00:07:23.019 --> 00:07:25.259 and the label seeing that potential crossover 00:07:25.259 --> 00:07:28.000 appeal. And the single Supermodel, You Better 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:30.620 Work. Yeah. It became this verifiable phenomenon. 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:32.439 It wasn't just a club hit, though it definitely 00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:34.699 was that peaked at number two on the Hot Dance 00:07:34.699 --> 00:07:37.699 Music Club play chart. Right. But the key was 00:07:37.699 --> 00:07:40.240 the mainstream infiltration, peaking at number 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:43.500 45 on the Billboard Hot 100. For an artist like 00:07:43.500 --> 00:07:47.100 him at that time. That was a gigantic crossover 00:07:47.100 --> 00:07:49.459 success. Just huge. And how did that happen? 00:07:49.560 --> 00:07:51.199 It was the visuals, wasn't it? Oh, absolutely. 00:07:51.279 --> 00:07:54.839 Driven by visual media. MTV gave that video heavy 00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:57.839 rotation, like constant rotation, which gave 00:07:57.839 --> 00:08:00.199 him instant access to millions of homes, places 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:02.300 that had zero exposure to drag culture before. 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:05.399 And then came the TV appearances performing on 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:08.180 the Arsenio Hall show. That was a massive legitimizing 00:08:08.180 --> 00:08:10.759 step. That combination just turned him into this. 00:08:11.660 --> 00:08:13.959 undeniable cultural force practically overnight 00:08:13.959 --> 00:08:15.699 and he proved it wasn't a fluke right the follow 00:08:15.699 --> 00:08:17.459 -up singles did well too they did especially 00:08:17.459 --> 00:08:21.279 in the clubs back to my roots in a shade shady 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:23.240 now prance both hit number one on the billboard 00:08:23.240 --> 00:08:25.259 hot dance music club play chart so the music 00:08:25.259 --> 00:08:28.000 career was solidifying but rupaul i mean he was 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:29.879 already moving on to break the next corporate 00:08:29.879 --> 00:08:32.179 barrier he was just a master of leveraging visibility 00:08:32.179 --> 00:08:35.580 wasn't he Totally. In 94, he collaborates on 00:08:35.580 --> 00:08:37.659 that duet with Elton John, Don't Go Breaking 00:08:37.659 --> 00:08:39.980 My Heart, and they performed it together in the 00:08:39.980 --> 00:08:42.340 San Remo Festival in Italy, which is a big deal. 00:08:42.399 --> 00:08:44.360 Huge deal. Yeah, this wasn't just some friendly 00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:46.980 collaboration, you know. Performing on a major 00:08:46.980 --> 00:08:49.500 international stage with an established icon 00:08:49.500 --> 00:08:52.279 like Elton John, that just cemented his global 00:08:52.279 --> 00:08:54.899 star power, showed he could operate at the industry's 00:08:54.899 --> 00:08:57.059 highest level. But the real cultural earthquake, 00:08:57.179 --> 00:09:00.159 I think, was the Ambe Cosmetics campaign. Oh, 00:09:00.159 --> 00:09:03.100 yeah. Signing that modeling contract, becoming 00:09:03.100 --> 00:09:05.919 the first drag queen to land a major cosmetics 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:08.419 campaign. Revolutionary is the word. It really 00:09:08.419 --> 00:09:11.039 was. Because it was deeply political while being 00:09:11.039 --> 00:09:13.059 deeply commercial, right? He wasn't just selling 00:09:13.059 --> 00:09:15.720 lipstick. He was raising money for the Mac AIDS 00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:18.700 Fund, using corporate capital for a crucial cause. 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:22.440 And furthermore, the visuals. They were uncompromising. 00:09:22.460 --> 00:09:25.259 Billboards everywhere featuring him in full drag. 00:09:25.779 --> 00:09:29.179 Six foot seven? With that simple text, I am the 00:09:29.179 --> 00:09:32.440 MAC girl. I mean, that image challenged traditional 00:09:32.440 --> 00:09:34.740 gender and beauty standards in every single major 00:09:34.740 --> 00:09:37.840 city all at once. And it proved he could translate 00:09:37.840 --> 00:09:40.639 that persona into acting, too, seamlessly. In 00:09:40.639 --> 00:09:44.179 95, he pops up on ABC's daytime soap All My Children. 00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:47.480 And famously played Mrs. Cummings, Jan's guidance 00:09:47.480 --> 00:09:49.559 counselor, in the Brady Bunch movie. Yeah, he 00:09:49.559 --> 00:09:51.860 was demonstrating that drag wasn't just this 00:09:51.860 --> 00:09:54.299 niche act, you know. It was a character capable 00:09:54.299 --> 00:09:57.059 of entering basically any narrative space. But 00:09:57.059 --> 00:09:59.360 the platform he created for himself, that was 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:01.299 the pinnacle of this era, wasn't it? The RuPaul 00:10:01.299 --> 00:10:04.360 show? Oh, absolutely. Ran on VH1 from 96 to 98. 00:10:04.740 --> 00:10:07.539 Hosted alongside his longtime collaborator, Michelle 00:10:07.539 --> 00:10:09.960 Visage. It was a talk show, sure, but it was, 00:10:09.980 --> 00:10:12.379 well, it was anything but traditional. The sources 00:10:12.379 --> 00:10:14.309 really emphasize the caliber of the... the guests, 00:10:14.509 --> 00:10:16.669 which speaks volumes about his cultural gravity 00:10:16.669 --> 00:10:18.929 at that point. You're talking Cher, Diana Ross, 00:10:19.169 --> 00:10:21.629 and the Backstreet Boys, hosting the biggest 00:10:21.629 --> 00:10:25.669 names across rock, pop, legends. Right. But what's 00:10:25.669 --> 00:10:27.970 critical, though, is the content. The sources 00:10:27.970 --> 00:10:30.690 highlight that the RuPaul show wasn't just celebrity 00:10:30.690 --> 00:10:34.299 gossip. Not at all. It tackled serious topics, 00:10:34.500 --> 00:10:36.740 stuff that was really rare for 90s television, 00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:39.440 especially on a channel like VH1, you know. They 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:41.480 discussed black empowerment, female empowerment, 00:10:41.700 --> 00:10:44.700 misogyny, liberal politics. It was revolutionary 00:10:44.700 --> 00:10:48.440 because RuPaul, in full drag, was providing this 00:10:48.440 --> 00:10:50.860 essential cultural and political commentary. 00:10:51.159 --> 00:10:54.399 Not as a guest, right, but as the host, the one 00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:56.980 determining the conversation. Hmm. So after the 00:10:56.980 --> 00:10:59.100 show ended, his music continued, though maybe 00:10:59.100 --> 00:11:01.899 with a bit less mainstream noise. Foxy Lady in 00:11:01.899 --> 00:11:05.059 96, that Christmas album Ho Ho Ho in 97, which 00:11:05.059 --> 00:11:08.080 did well, and then Red Hot in 2004. But this 00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:10.460 early 2000s period... It seems like it was a 00:11:10.460 --> 00:11:12.240 challenging time for him to maintain that same 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:14.159 level of visibility he'd had in the mid -90s. 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:16.320 Yeah, he spoke quite candidly about that struggle, 00:11:16.440 --> 00:11:18.100 getting press coverage during that post -talk 00:11:18.100 --> 00:11:20.139 show era. He found it increasingly difficult, 00:11:20.360 --> 00:11:22.220 he said, to generate attention for his music 00:11:22.220 --> 00:11:24.460 or other projects, unless he agreed to conform 00:11:24.460 --> 00:11:26.700 to what he called the role that the mainstream 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:29.100 brass has assigned to gay people, which is as 00:11:29.100 --> 00:11:32.919 servants of straight ideals. Wow. That's a devastating 00:11:32.919 --> 00:11:35.179 quote, really. It suggests the media was fine 00:11:35.179 --> 00:11:37.740 with him as long as he was, what, serving up 00:11:37.740 --> 00:11:40.379 a palatable, non -threatening novelty act. But 00:11:40.379 --> 00:11:43.039 they balked when he insisted on being taken seriously 00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:46.720 as this complex, multifaceted, politically -minded 00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:49.379 artist. I think that's exactly it. And it feels 00:11:49.379 --> 00:11:51.720 like a huge turning point, right? That fatigue 00:11:51.720 --> 00:11:53.980 maybe and the realization that the established 00:11:53.980 --> 00:11:56.200 media structure just wouldn't fully accept him 00:11:56.200 --> 00:11:58.360 on his own terms. It feels like that spurred 00:11:58.360 --> 00:12:01.320 the next and arguably most important phase of 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:03.799 his career. If the mainstream wouldn't give him 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:05.919 the platform he deserved, well, he was going 00:12:05.919 --> 00:12:08.519 to build. a bigger, better global one himself. 00:12:08.740 --> 00:12:10.940 And that right there is the genesis of the drag 00:12:10.940 --> 00:12:13.860 race dynasty. Right. That new, entirely self 00:12:13.860 --> 00:12:16.259 -determined media platform. It launched in 2009 00:12:16.259 --> 00:12:18.679 with RuPaul's Drag Race. Starting comely enough, 00:12:18.740 --> 00:12:21.080 didn't it? On Logo, which was an expanded cable 00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:23.539 channel back then. Simple premise. Drag queens 00:12:23.539 --> 00:12:25.740 compete to be America's next drag superstar. 00:12:26.139 --> 00:12:28.559 Yeah. Looked like a modest reality show. But 00:12:28.559 --> 00:12:30.820 it was actually this meticulously crafted... 00:12:31.049 --> 00:12:32.710 Well, business and cultural machine from the 00:12:32.710 --> 00:12:34.750 get -go. We're now, what, 17 seasons into the 00:12:34.750 --> 00:12:37.649 U .S. version? It's incredible longevity. But 00:12:37.649 --> 00:12:40.149 the real strategic brilliance, I think, is the 00:12:40.149 --> 00:12:42.669 franchise proliferation, cloning the concept 00:12:42.669 --> 00:12:45.110 globally. That's how we went from being a U .S. 00:12:45.110 --> 00:12:48.870 celebrity to a truly global media force. Let's 00:12:48.870 --> 00:12:50.649 talk about that scale for a second. The sources 00:12:50.649 --> 00:12:52.850 really highlight the explosion of international 00:12:52.850 --> 00:12:55.049 versions. It shows how well the format travels. 00:12:55.250 --> 00:12:58.490 We saw Drag Race UK launch in 2019. Huge success. 00:12:58.870 --> 00:13:00.889 Huge. Canada's Drag Race. Drag Race in 2020, 00:13:01.210 --> 00:13:04.269 Drag Race Down Under in 2021. And there's so 00:13:04.269 --> 00:13:06.429 many others now. Plus all the spinoffs in the 00:13:06.429 --> 00:13:09.370 U .S. alone. It's dizzying. All Stars, Drag U, 00:13:09.490 --> 00:13:11.789 the educational one. Right, Drag U. Secret Celebrity 00:13:11.789 --> 00:13:14.009 Drag Race, Global All Stars. The sheer volume 00:13:14.009 --> 00:13:17.190 of content is just. Wow. He basically colonized 00:13:17.190 --> 00:13:19.629 the reality TV landscape with drag. And that 00:13:19.629 --> 00:13:23.129 content volume, it paid off massively. The crucial 00:13:23.129 --> 00:13:25.450 turning point, I think, for mainstream legitimacy 00:13:25.450 --> 00:13:29.190 came when the show moved from Logo, the niche 00:13:29.190 --> 00:13:32.129 channel. to VH1. That was for season nine back 00:13:32.129 --> 00:13:35.330 in 2017. That move signaled it wasn't just a 00:13:35.330 --> 00:13:37.730 gay cultural phenomenon anymore. It was becoming 00:13:37.730 --> 00:13:39.950 a mainstream television event. Yeah, and the 00:13:39.950 --> 00:13:42.529 ratings really confirm that cultural shift, don't 00:13:42.529 --> 00:13:44.470 they? That season nine premiere, the one featuring 00:13:44.470 --> 00:13:47.429 Lady Gaga, it drew nearly a million viewers. 00:13:47.590 --> 00:13:49.230 A million viewers! Which was the most watched 00:13:49.230 --> 00:13:51.549 episode at that time. It confirmed that RuPaul 00:13:51.549 --> 00:13:53.509 had successfully transitioned the art form he 00:13:53.509 --> 00:13:56.129 championed from the fringes right into essential 00:13:56.129 --> 00:13:58.850 appointment viewing for this vast, diverse audience. 00:13:58.759 --> 00:14:01.299 audience. And the television industry. They rewarded 00:14:01.299 --> 00:14:03.779 that dominance with just unprecedented recognition. 00:14:04.179 --> 00:14:06.580 This whole era is defined by his Emmy domination. 00:14:06.940 --> 00:14:09.679 It's staggering. He won his first Emmy for outstanding 00:14:09.679 --> 00:14:12.320 host for a reality or reality competition program 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:15.100 in 2016. And since then, he's won eight times 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:17.259 in that category alone, often consecutively. 00:14:17.340 --> 00:14:20.440 Eight times. That sustained excellence is why 00:14:20.440 --> 00:14:24.370 he holds 14 primetime Emmy Awards total. Cementing 00:14:24.370 --> 00:14:27.230 his status, as we said, as the most awarded person 00:14:27.230 --> 00:14:30.090 of color in Emmy history. I mean, you look at 00:14:30.090 --> 00:14:33.169 the landscape of competition reality TV. Nobody 00:14:33.169 --> 00:14:36.429 has achieved that specific sustained hosting 00:14:36.429 --> 00:14:39.389 success. It's a category he essentially owns 00:14:39.389 --> 00:14:41.720 now. Yeah, he really does. And this professional 00:14:41.720 --> 00:14:43.779 achievement, it brought significant high honors, 00:14:43.980 --> 00:14:47.299 establishment recognition. In 2017, he was included 00:14:47.299 --> 00:14:49.460 in the Time 100 list, most influential people. 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:52.559 Then in 2018, he gets a star on the Hollywood 00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:55.139 Walk of Fame, became the first drag queen to 00:14:55.139 --> 00:14:57.659 achieve that highly visible distinction. These 00:14:57.659 --> 00:14:59.879 are markers of legitimacy, you know, stuff that 00:14:59.879 --> 00:15:02.820 very few underground artists ever achieve. And 00:15:02.820 --> 00:15:05.120 his influence wasn't just restricted to TV hosting 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:08.220 either, which is interesting. In 2022, he expanded 00:15:08.220 --> 00:15:10.679 his business acumen. right? And secured a Tony 00:15:10.679 --> 00:15:13.580 Award for Best Musical. As a producer, that's 00:15:13.580 --> 00:15:15.840 the key thing. A producer for the Pulitzer Prize 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:18.120 winning show, A Strange Loop. Right. So it's 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:20.259 not just about being the face anymore. Exactly. 00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:22.759 While he's often mentioned in that ego potential 00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:25.519 conversation, winning as a producer shows this 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:28.019 shift in focus. It proves he's operating now 00:15:28.019 --> 00:15:30.820 not just as the talent, the face, but as a genuine 00:15:30.820 --> 00:15:34.340 media investor, a power broker. capable of bankrolling 00:15:34.340 --> 00:15:36.740 and pushing these high -level, critically acclaimed 00:15:36.740 --> 00:15:39.179 artistic endeavors. Okay, so beyond Drag Race, 00:15:39.340 --> 00:15:41.659 he kept expanding his TV footprint, sometimes 00:15:41.659 --> 00:15:44.860 successfully, sometimes maybe less so. He hosted 00:15:44.860 --> 00:15:47.299 Good Work in 2015, that plastic surgery talk 00:15:47.299 --> 00:15:49.539 show, and Gay for Play game show starring RuPaul 00:15:49.539 --> 00:15:52.440 from 2016 to 2017. Yeah. He also tried to return 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:54.480 to daytime TV, didn't he? With that syndicated 00:15:54.480 --> 00:15:57.019 talk show RuPaul in 2019, that one was pretty 00:15:57.019 --> 00:15:59.379 short -lived. Yeah, the market test of that 2019 00:15:59.379 --> 00:16:01.740 show is really interesting, I think. It kind 00:16:01.740 --> 00:16:03.789 of suggested... that while the drag race format 00:16:03.789 --> 00:16:06.009 built around charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and 00:16:06.009 --> 00:16:08.590 talent is just unstoppable, the appetite for 00:16:08.590 --> 00:16:10.669 a traditional daytime talk show featuring him 00:16:10.669 --> 00:16:13.070 might be more limited. It seems the public wants 00:16:13.070 --> 00:16:15.490 the host of the competition, the expert on drag, 00:16:15.669 --> 00:16:17.710 maybe more than the general purpose talk show 00:16:17.710 --> 00:16:20.049 host persona, if that makes sense. Yeah, that 00:16:20.049 --> 00:16:22.110 does make sense. He also moved into scripted 00:16:22.110 --> 00:16:24.649 content. Created and starred as Rudy Redd in 00:16:24.649 --> 00:16:26.970 that Netflix series AJ and the Queen in 2020. 00:16:27.250 --> 00:16:29.350 Right, the one about the drag queen traveling 00:16:29.350 --> 00:16:31.750 across the country with a kid. Yeah, that show 00:16:31.750 --> 00:16:34.149 was also short -lived, wasn't it? Suggests maybe 00:16:34.149 --> 00:16:36.490 his ultimate strength really lies in that reality 00:16:36.490 --> 00:16:38.529 and entertainment space. Though he keeps popping 00:16:38.529 --> 00:16:41.480 up, right? Hosted Saturday Night Live 2020, and 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:43.299 he's currently hosting the revival of the game 00:16:43.299 --> 00:16:46.460 show Lingo on CBS. Right. And we absolutely have 00:16:46.460 --> 00:16:49.220 to acknowledge the massive literary output during 00:16:49.220 --> 00:16:52.000 this period, too, which serves both as like a 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:54.220 personal narrative and a guide to his philosophy. 00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:57.539 After his first autobiography back in 95, Letting 00:16:57.539 --> 00:17:00.460 It All Hang Out, he released Guru in 2018, which 00:17:00.460 --> 00:17:02.919 is more philosophical, more of a guide. And then 00:17:02.919 --> 00:17:05.660 most recently, that deeply personal memoir, The 00:17:05.660 --> 00:17:07.519 House of Hidden Meanings, just came out in early 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:10.740 2024. These books, they provide the philosophical 00:17:10.740 --> 00:17:13.940 backbone really to his whole media empire, making 00:17:13.940 --> 00:17:16.700 sure his message, self -acceptance, defiance 00:17:16.700 --> 00:17:19.940 is documented. He really is a master curator, 00:17:20.119 --> 00:17:22.470 isn't he? of his own history and his own myth, 00:17:22.670 --> 00:17:25.630 ensuring his perspective is the dominant one 00:17:25.630 --> 00:17:28.009 across all these platforms. Well, the undeniable 00:17:28.009 --> 00:17:30.029 truth is that RuPaul is just this monumental 00:17:30.029 --> 00:17:33.089 cultural figure. Mike .com called him arguably 00:17:33.089 --> 00:17:35.589 the most commercially successful drag queen in 00:17:35.589 --> 00:17:38.529 America. We mentioned Fortune earlier, too. And 00:17:38.529 --> 00:17:41.670 that commercial success is directly credited 00:17:41.670 --> 00:17:44.650 with creating this unprecedented wider exposure, 00:17:45.009 --> 00:17:47.670 effectively pulling drag queens from being this 00:17:47.670 --> 00:17:51.420 like specialized LGBTQ. subculture right into 00:17:51.420 --> 00:17:54.559 the absolute mainstream spotlight. And it's not 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:56.359 just entertainment, is it? He's always maintained 00:17:56.359 --> 00:17:58.420 that the act of doing drag is inherently political. 00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:01.240 Always. He describes it as a very, very political 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:03.680 act. Why? Because it actively challenges the 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:05.660 status quo. This is the core of his philosophical 00:18:05.660 --> 00:18:08.799 resistance, right? Rooted maybe in that early 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:11.559 trauma we talked about, rejecting fixed identities. 00:18:11.799 --> 00:18:14.759 That rejection is summed up perfectly in his 00:18:14.759 --> 00:18:17.599 statement. Drag says, I'm a shapeshifter. I do 00:18:17.599 --> 00:18:20.069 whatever the hell I want at any given time. That 00:18:20.069 --> 00:18:22.890 philosophy, that radical self -determination, 00:18:22.970 --> 00:18:25.750 that's what resonates so deeply with his audience, 00:18:25.869 --> 00:18:27.990 I think. And it acts as the engine for his empire. 00:18:28.250 --> 00:18:30.869 His cultural impact is so vast. I mean, the sources 00:18:30.869 --> 00:18:33.650 show it's literally entered the scientific classification 00:18:33.650 --> 00:18:37.049 system. Isn't that wild? In 2020, a species of 00:18:37.049 --> 00:18:40.190 Australian soldier fly was named Opaluma rupal. 00:18:40.349 --> 00:18:43.130 Opaluma rupal. Yeah. And the scientists specifically 00:18:43.130 --> 00:18:46.740 cited the insect's, quote, costume of shiny metallic 00:18:46.740 --> 00:18:49.980 rainbow colors as the reason i mean that's peak 00:18:49.980 --> 00:18:52.200 cultural penetration right there having a fly 00:18:52.200 --> 00:18:54.539 named after you because it looks fabulous that's 00:18:54.539 --> 00:18:57.119 amazing okay so beyond tv and books he built 00:18:57.119 --> 00:18:59.059 this whole entrepreneurial infrastructure to 00:18:59.059 --> 00:19:02.319 support the drag ecosystem itself right in 2014 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:06.019 he launched that highly successful podcast rupaul 00:19:06.019 --> 00:19:09.200 what's the tea with michelle visage which serves 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:12.059 as this crucial behind the scenes voice you know 00:19:12.059 --> 00:19:14.880 offering life advice conversations with guests, 00:19:14.940 --> 00:19:17.000 it really cements the bond with his audience. 00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:19.319 And he didn't just create a digital ecosystem, 00:19:19.640 --> 00:19:22.809 he created physical ones too. Through his production 00:19:22.809 --> 00:19:25.690 company, World of Wonder, he launched RuPaul's 00:19:25.690 --> 00:19:29.990 DragCon LA in 2015, then DragCon NYC in 2017. 00:19:30.250 --> 00:19:31.869 Yeah, and these aren't just fan gatherings. They 00:19:31.869 --> 00:19:34.529 are massive conventions, panels, performances, 00:19:34.970 --> 00:19:37.910 meet and greets. They operate as this major economic 00:19:37.910 --> 00:19:40.829 driver for the drag community itself, proving 00:19:40.829 --> 00:19:43.470 the commercial viability of the art form on a 00:19:43.470 --> 00:19:45.670 huge scale. He also entered the beauty market 00:19:45.670 --> 00:19:48.589 directly, didn't he? He did. Back in 2013, launched 00:19:48.589 --> 00:19:50.930 his debut makeup line in that unisex perfume. 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:54.099 Glamazon. And he specifically emphasized that 00:19:54.099 --> 00:19:57.420 glamour should be accessible to all, which aligns 00:19:57.420 --> 00:19:59.319 perfectly with his whole philosophy, right? That 00:19:59.319 --> 00:20:02.099 transformation is available to everyone, regardless 00:20:02.099 --> 00:20:04.740 of gender identity. Okay, let's shift a bit to 00:20:04.740 --> 00:20:07.319 his direct activism, which has become increasingly 00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:09.420 urgent, hasn't it? Especially given the political 00:20:09.420 --> 00:20:12.660 climate around LGBTQ rights. He's a very active 00:20:12.660 --> 00:20:15.200 supporter of voter registration, cites that alarming 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:18.279 statistic one in five LGBTQ adults aren't registered 00:20:18.279 --> 00:20:21.029 to vote. Yeah. And he uses the leverage of his 00:20:21.029 --> 00:20:22.970 franchise to promote this. You see it all the 00:20:22.970 --> 00:20:25.349 time. Contestants from Drag Race frequently work 00:20:25.349 --> 00:20:27.089 as ambassadors with groups like Drag Out the 00:20:27.089 --> 00:20:29.950 Vote. And then following that surge of anti -drag 00:20:29.950 --> 00:20:32.430 initiatives across the U .S., like the Tennessee 00:20:32.430 --> 00:20:35.650 Adult Entertainment Act in March 2023, he acted 00:20:35.650 --> 00:20:39.230 pretty swiftly. Right. He, along with MTV and 00:20:39.230 --> 00:20:41.809 the World of Wonder producers, they established 00:20:41.809 --> 00:20:44.329 the Drag Defense Fund. Which is maintained by 00:20:44.329 --> 00:20:47.490 the ACLU. So this is a direct financial response 00:20:47.490 --> 00:20:49.670 right to combat legislation that attempts to 00:20:49.670 --> 00:20:52.470 restrict drag performance. It signals his willingness 00:20:52.470 --> 00:20:54.789 to leverage his considerable corporate power 00:20:54.789 --> 00:20:57.809 to protect the art form. And he's made his political 00:20:57.809 --> 00:20:59.710 stance pretty clear over the years. Oh yeah. 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:03.200 Publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016, expressed 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:06.259 dismay at the election outcome. His core message 00:21:06.259 --> 00:21:08.680 to his audience is always about action. He called 00:21:08.680 --> 00:21:11.339 on followers to vote, saying, and this is a key 00:21:11.339 --> 00:21:13.940 quote, I think, a social media post has never 00:21:13.940 --> 00:21:16.240 been as powerful as a registered vote, urging 00:21:16.240 --> 00:21:18.480 people to get, quote, those stunt queens out 00:21:18.480 --> 00:21:21.480 of office. OK, now we really need to dedicate 00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:25.500 sufficient impartial space here to the complexity 00:21:25.500 --> 00:21:29.750 of his identity and his sometimes troubled. relationship 00:21:29.750 --> 00:21:31.990 with the transgender community. These are really 00:21:31.990 --> 00:21:34.250 necessary points of scrutiny and evolution in 00:21:34.250 --> 00:21:36.670 his career. Absolutely. And the sources like 00:21:36.670 --> 00:21:39.190 Vox, for instance, they highlight this fundamental 00:21:39.190 --> 00:21:41.490 philosophical difference that seems to be at 00:21:41.490 --> 00:21:44.390 the heart of the conflict. RuPaul's core philosophy, 00:21:44.509 --> 00:21:47.190 as we said, is to mock identity, mock gender 00:21:47.190 --> 00:21:50.250 stereotypes, view them as fluid social constructs, 00:21:50.250 --> 00:21:52.710 which contrasts sharply with the transgender 00:21:52.710 --> 00:21:54.930 community's crucial need to have their identity, 00:21:55.089 --> 00:21:57.230 their gender, their existence taken seriously 00:21:57.230 --> 00:22:00.470 and affirmed, not. mocked. Right. And this tension, 00:22:00.529 --> 00:22:02.990 it really manifested most acutely around 2014, 00:22:03.289 --> 00:22:05.650 didn't it? The show faced significant criticism 00:22:05.650 --> 00:22:08.470 from trans activists, former contestants, over 00:22:08.470 --> 00:22:11.190 the use of specific language, notably terms like 00:22:11.190 --> 00:22:13.190 tranny and that challenge phrase you've got, 00:22:13.329 --> 00:22:16.240 she -male. Those terms were rightly criticized 00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:18.720 as transphobic and hurtful by many. They were. 00:22:18.819 --> 00:22:21.059 And the producers did respond. They removed the 00:22:21.059 --> 00:22:24.579 you've got shemale phrase from subsequent broadcasts, 00:22:24.579 --> 00:22:27.980 replacing it with the now iconic she done already 00:22:27.980 --> 00:22:31.420 done had her sis. However, RuPaul initially defended 00:22:31.420 --> 00:22:34.750 the term tranny. He argued it referred primarily 00:22:34.750 --> 00:22:37.230 to transvestites and drag queens using cross 00:22:37.230 --> 00:22:40.029 -dressing for performance, not solely to trans 00:22:40.029 --> 00:22:42.329 women, which was how many in the trans community 00:22:42.329 --> 00:22:45.190 experienced the term. And the controversy escalated 00:22:45.190 --> 00:22:47.410 even further in 2018. There was that interview 00:22:47.410 --> 00:22:49.730 in The Guardian. Right. That interview where 00:22:49.730 --> 00:22:52.069 he suggested that a post -transition trans woman 00:22:52.069 --> 00:22:54.670 would probably not be accepted as a contestant 00:22:54.670 --> 00:22:56.819 on Drag Race. Yeah. And then he compounded the 00:22:56.819 --> 00:22:59.380 issue. He did. By comparing trans drag queens 00:22:59.380 --> 00:23:01.660 who had transitioned to athletes using performance 00:23:01.660 --> 00:23:04.440 enhancing drugs, implying they had some kind 00:23:04.440 --> 00:23:06.619 of unfair advantage in the competition against 00:23:06.619 --> 00:23:10.119 cisgender male queens. That sparked significant 00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:12.480 backlash across the community. Accusations of 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:15.099 gatekeeping, transphobia. And that backlash was 00:23:15.099 --> 00:23:17.720 powerful enough that it did elicit a public response 00:23:17.720 --> 00:23:20.380 from him. It did. He eventually issued an apology 00:23:20.380 --> 00:23:23.500 via Twitter, expressed regret for the hurt caused 00:23:23.500 --> 00:23:25.880 by his remarks, and he clarified that the only 00:23:25.880 --> 00:23:28.480 criteria for contestants were charisma, uniqueness, 00:23:28.740 --> 00:23:32.400 nerve, and talent. The C -U -N -T acronym. The 00:23:32.400 --> 00:23:34.839 core values of the show. And it's crucial to 00:23:34.839 --> 00:23:37.900 track the tangible outcome of that shift, isn't 00:23:37.900 --> 00:23:40.339 it? What happened next? Yeah, absolutely. Drag 00:23:40.339 --> 00:23:42.339 Race has since featured numerous trans women 00:23:42.339 --> 00:23:44.680 contestants. Peppermint was the first to compete 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:46.779 throughout her season as an openly trans woman. 00:23:46.940 --> 00:23:49.619 And then in a major statement about full inclusion, 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:52.319 the show welcomed its first openly trans man 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:55.799 contestant, Gottmik, in 2021. So the show has 00:23:55.799 --> 00:23:58.400 evolved, often it seems, driven by the criticism 00:23:58.400 --> 00:24:01.500 it faced, which is important. Okay. Finally, 00:24:01.519 --> 00:24:03.910 let's turn to his personal life. And this striking 00:24:03.910 --> 00:24:06.309 contrast that sometimes emerges between his political 00:24:06.309 --> 00:24:09.130 advocacy and his business interests. He met the 00:24:09.130 --> 00:24:12.369 painter Georges Labarre back in 1994 at the Limelight 00:24:12.369 --> 00:24:14.269 Nightclub in New York City, another iconic spot. 00:24:14.589 --> 00:24:17.630 And they married in 2017. He's spoken openly 00:24:17.630 --> 00:24:19.569 about having an open marriage, stating he doesn't 00:24:19.569 --> 00:24:21.450 want to put restraints on the person he loves. 00:24:21.609 --> 00:24:23.589 Right. And the couple splits their time between 00:24:23.589 --> 00:24:26.309 L .A. and, well, their truly massive property 00:24:26.309 --> 00:24:31.630 in Wyoming, a 60 ,000 acre ranch. 60 ,000 acres. 00:24:31.869 --> 00:24:35.029 Which is huge. And this enormous landholding, 00:24:35.029 --> 00:24:37.849 it leads directly to the most significant environmental 00:24:37.849 --> 00:24:40.190 controversy surrounding his personal business 00:24:40.190 --> 00:24:42.730 practices. Yeah, that controversy really erupted 00:24:42.730 --> 00:24:45.670 in 2020 after he revealed, quite candidly on 00:24:45.670 --> 00:24:47.750 a podcast, I believe, that he and Labar lease 00:24:47.750 --> 00:24:50.950 mineral rights on the ranch and sell water to 00:24:50.950 --> 00:24:54.130 oil companies, explicitly allowing fracking on 00:24:54.130 --> 00:24:56.630 the land. Fracking, which immediately led to 00:24:56.630 --> 00:24:59.490 criticism, accusations of hypocrisy. especially 00:24:59.490 --> 00:25:01.990 because Drag Race has, you know, featured environmental 00:25:01.990 --> 00:25:04.230 awareness themes and challenges sometimes. Exactly. 00:25:04.329 --> 00:25:06.769 And the issue is quite severe, according to the 00:25:06.769 --> 00:25:09.430 sources. Public maps apparently indicate at least 00:25:09.430 --> 00:25:12.269 35 active oil and gas wells currently operating 00:25:12.269 --> 00:25:15.210 on that 60 ,000 acre property. So it means the 00:25:15.210 --> 00:25:17.150 political advocate who funds the Drag Defense 00:25:17.150 --> 00:25:20.690 Fund is also simultaneously financially invested 00:25:20.690 --> 00:25:22.630 in a practice that's highly criticized for its 00:25:22.630 --> 00:25:25.109 environmental impact. It creates this fascinating 00:25:25.109 --> 00:25:27.470 and yet difficult tension, doesn't it? Proves 00:25:27.470 --> 00:25:30.329 that even the most... cultural figures have to 00:25:30.329 --> 00:25:31.990 navigate these really complicated commercial 00:25:31.990 --> 00:25:36.309 realities of land, capital, and ownership. Hashtag 00:25:36.309 --> 00:25:40.130 tag tag outro. Wow. What an incredible journey, 00:25:40.170 --> 00:25:43.329 really. Self -creation and ultimately domination. 00:25:43.980 --> 00:25:46.359 From the trauma of a broken home, the obscurity 00:25:46.359 --> 00:25:49.039 of Atlanta public access, RuPaul leveraged that 00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:51.559 90s commercial success into this global multi 00:25:51.559 --> 00:25:54.720 -platform dynasty of drag race. He truly turned 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:56.980 an underground art form into a corporate engine, 00:25:57.099 --> 00:25:59.259 defining so much of popular culture along the 00:25:59.259 --> 00:26:01.400 way. Yeah, the central duality of his career 00:26:01.400 --> 00:26:03.660 and maybe his lasting legacy is exactly that. 00:26:03.740 --> 00:26:06.000 How his foundational philosophy of drag as political 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:07.819 resistance, you know, a challenge to the status 00:26:07.819 --> 00:26:11.220 quo of fixed identity, how that manages to coexist 00:26:11.220 --> 00:26:13.680 with the demands of managing this. enormous, 00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:16.839 highly commercial and sometimes environmentally 00:26:16.839 --> 00:26:19.440 contentious business empire. He truly is the 00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:21.859 shapeshifter he claimed to be capable of operating 00:26:21.859 --> 00:26:24.279 in activist spaces, artistic spaces and corporate 00:26:24.279 --> 00:26:26.559 spaces all at the same time. He didn't just change 00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:28.700 the rules. He kind of became the one writing 00:26:28.700 --> 00:26:31.619 them. Right. Exactly. And as you, the listener, 00:26:31.740 --> 00:26:35.140 consider his monumental success and his central 00:26:35.140 --> 00:26:37.440 role in promoting political action, specifically 00:26:37.440 --> 00:26:39.720 through creating the Drag Defense Fund to fight 00:26:39.720 --> 00:26:43.400 anti -LGBTQ legislation. It does raise an important 00:26:43.400 --> 00:26:45.559 question, I think, for you to mull over as you 00:26:45.559 --> 00:26:48.000 finish this deep dive. Given his clear ethical 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:50.400 stance on civil rights, how does his financial 00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:52.779 involvement in environmentally criticized practices, 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:55.400 like allowing fracking on his massive Wyoming 00:26:55.400 --> 00:26:58.019 ranch, how does that force us to reassess or 00:26:58.019 --> 00:26:59.980 at least complicate the public perception of 00:26:59.980 --> 00:27:02.099 his role as a complete and consistent political 00:27:02.099 --> 00:27:05.099 and moral cultural voice? It's the ultimate tension, 00:27:05.119 --> 00:27:07.079 maybe, between philosophy and profit. Something 00:27:07.079 --> 00:27:07.619 to think about.