No matter who you are, you know the name RuPaul. RuPaul was one of the most iconic drag queens and his larger-than-life personality is now cemented as a powerhouse of pop culture. Not only is he the host of RuPaul’s Drag Race, but he has 14 Primetime Emmy Awards, three GLAAD Media Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and a Tony Award. From drag queen to pop sensation to TV personality, RuPaul’s career is jaw-dropping and inspiring. But what about his start? What goes on behind the scenes? With his new memoir, The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir, RuPaul brings readers along from the start to the present. Here are some of the moments you can’t miss out on when it comes to this memoir:
RuPaul Credits Drama Teacher for Career
While attending Northside High School, drama teacher Bill Panell made the decision and convinced the school to stage a play based on Tennessee Williams’ play Camino Real in which RuPaul played a drag queen named Queenie.
One Letter Led to Decade Long American Music Show
After watching a single episode of The American Music Show in the early 1980s, RuPaul wrote a letter to the show stating he loved the show and would love to appear. Being the first piece of fan mail, they had received, RuPaul not only was invited to perform but this lead to a decade long list of appearances.
Was There a Place RuPaul Didn’t Work?
Prior to being the powerhouse he is today, RuPaul had a ton of jobs including a short order cook, a custodian, a ticket taker, and a go-go dancer. The one job that didn’t work out was a short set and attempt at stand-up comedy. So, while that didn’t last, RuPaul still had plenty of laughs for his fans in later years.
RuPaul Used Television to Cope With Trauma
RuPaul was born in San Diego in 1960 and his parents’ relationship was toxic leading at one point his mother to pour gasoline on his father’s car and threatened to light it on fire. While his family life was hard to deal with at such a young age, RuPaul watched television and dreamed of one day being on TV himself. This led him to make a name for himself in Atlanta in the 1970s.
Betty Helped Hollywood
RuPaul’s father’s mistress, Betty, had a daughter who worked at Warner Bros. leading Betty to bring him to studio creating a moment and a memory that inspired RuPaul to chase his dreams and build the career he has today.
RUPAUL IS EVERYTHING
In the Atlanta art scene, RuPaul played in several bands, creating posters that said “RUPAUL IS EVERYTHING” and worked on various projects including singing and dancing and performing craving to be famous. Those posters were just a simple statement of what was to come in his career.
Beef With Madonna?
It’s no shock to read Madonna’s name in RuPaul’s memoir…most celebrities in the 90s had some issue with her at one point in their career. At the Pyramid Club in NYC, RuPaul recalls Madonna looking at him as if he were worthless and the memory still sticks with him today.
Tagline Credits Lucky
RuPaul’s famous tagline “You’re born naked, the rest is drag” was repeated to him by his boyfriend at the time after hearing it from the drag queen Lakesha Lucky.
Drag Built Self-Esteem
Within the LGBTQIA+ community, RuPaul felt being tall, Black, artistic, and feminine led him to not be sexually desirable to other gay men until he found drag. Drag brough RuPaul to a place where he felt more himself and escaped the confines of gender.
Following the first 40 years of his life, the memoir not only sheds light on so many aspects of RuPaul’s life but his career and love life and every struggle he experienced until eventually becoming sober. If grittiness and honesty were covered in glitter and came with a famous cackle, these words could jump off the pages and tell you one hell of a story.
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