RuPaul Net Worth: Shantay You Slay With $60 Million, Queen

RuPaul Andre Charles, the so-called Queen of Drag, is the most famous drag queen in the world. The worldwide-known television personality is an entrepreneur, host, judge, actor, singer, producer, and writer. Such a versatile and successful career has propelled RuPaul’s net worth to an incredible $60 million today, making him the richest drag queen in the world!

As the judge of the reality TV competition series RuPaul’s Drag Race, he has received 14 Primetime Emmy Awards and several other prestigious accolades.

In this article, we’ll dig into the story of the most commercially successful drag queen in the US, and tell you how he earned his fame and fortune.

RuPaul’s Net Worth Breakdown:

For the most part, RuPaul’s fortune comes from his incredibly popular competition show Drag Race. Our research helped us find data that shows us the host and drag queen has earned at least $40 million from this show alone.

As for the remaining $20 million – which might be considerably more seeing how RuPaul’s career is very versatile -it comes from his acting roles, music career, book earnings, endorsement deals, speaking engagements, and much more.

As can be expected, most of the details of his contracts and his earnings from TV roles remain largely undisclosed. Even so, our research has allowed us to make a detailed breakdown of RuPaul’s main assets, as well as share with you the story of how he made his millions.

RuPaul Net Worth: Early Life and Career Beginnings

RuPaul Andre Charles was born in San Diego on November 17, 1960. He’s the son of Irving Andrew Charles and Ernestine Charles, both from Louisiana. His unique name comes from ‘Ru’, or the French term ‘roux’ for the base of gumbo.

RuPaul’s parents divorced when he was only seven years old and he and his three sisters remained to live with their mother. He attended Patrick Henry High School and, at the age of 15, he and his sister Renetta moved to Atlanta to pursue higher education. Both of them studied performing arts at the Northside School of Performing Arts. RuPaul ultimately didn’t graduate, though, working odd jobs until the point where he reached his fame.

Despite his evident talent, RuPaul struggled as a filmmaker and musician during the 1980s, a time when he worked at Plaza Theatre. His initial career breakthrough occurred in 1982 when he debuted on The American Music Show, an Atlanta public access variety show. Following an unforgettable performance, he was invited to appear on the show frequently in the following months.

At around this time, he took on some small roles in underground cinema and even assisted in the production of a low-budget film called Star Booty, as well as the album of the same name.

While in Atlanta, RuPaul performed at the Celebrity Club, doing bar dancing, as well as performances with his band called Wee Wee Pole. He was also a backup singer for Glen Meadmore, working alongside drag queen Vaginal Davis.

In 1989, he started gaining national exposure by dancing as an extra in the Love Shack video for The B-52s.

@lostspacespod

Before she was the supermodel of the world… #rupaul #queerhistory #b52s #dragrace

♬ Love Shack – The B-52’s

RuPaul’s Personal Life

In 1994, RuPaul met the Australian painter Georges LeBar in New York City, whom he married in January 2017. RuPaul and LeBar have an open marriage and split their time between their homes in Wyoming and Los Angeles.

As for RuPaul’s gender pronouns, he has long shared his indifference toward the topic, stating that people can address him as ‘he’ or ‘she’.

You can call me he. You can call me she. You can call me Regis and Kathie Lee; I don't care! Just as long as you call me.

— RuPaul's Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) May 30, 2013

RuPaul Net Worth: Becoming the World’s Most Popular Drag Queen

RuPaul has been a force in the entertainment industry from the very beginning. He has played opposite some of the best drag queens in history, propelled himself to fandom, and earned millions of dollars along the way. Let’s see how his fame and fortune grew over the years.

Early Beginnings

After his appearance in Love Shack, RuPaul became famous on the drag scene. In the 1990s, he worked in Georgia, using the name RuPaul Charles and participating in gender-bender-style performances. He also performed solo and with other bands at New York City nightclubs such as the Pyramid Club.

The Pyramid Club was famous for hosting the prominent cultural figures of the time, allowing RuPaul to perform at the same place as The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, and Andy Warhol. In 1991, he was signed by World of Wonder, a management team that would go on to produce all of his television shows in the years that followed, even though it was only starting back then.

RuPaul performed several times at the annual Wigstock Drag Festival and was part of the Wigstock: The Movie, the documentary. He also gained fame in the UK for his appearances on the weekly series Manhattan Cable, produced by World of Wonder.

Recording His Debut Studio Album

In 1993, RuPaul recorded his first album, the dance/house album titled Supermodel of the World. The album was released through the rap label Tommy Boy and its dance track hit Supermodel (You Better Work) instantly peaked at 45 on the Billboard Hot 100. On the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, it peaked at number 2.

After the success of his first album, RuPaul released his next two singles Back to My Roots and A Shade Shady, both of which got the top spot on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. His following release was House of Love, and while it didn’t achieve the same level of success, it did peak at 68 on the UK Singles Chart.

Contract with MAC Cosmetics and First Talk Show

In 1994, MAC Cosmetics made RuPaul their spokesperson. His work with Mac Cosmetics helped the company raise money for the AIDS Fund but also made RuPaul the very first drag queen to land a big cosmetics campaign.

Thanks to his prominent contract, RuPaul was featured on various billboards in full drag, often accompanied by the phrase “I am the MAC girl”.

The Original MAC Viva Glam Girl: @RuPaul. I still need these kinky boots in my life. pic.twitter.com/DuUWgGFVFf

— Matea Visage (@mateeea) March 13, 2015

The next year, RuPaul was featured for the first time in Brady Bunch, playing Jan’s female guidance counselor. That same year, he landed his own talk show on VH1, titled The RuPaul Show, where he interviewed celebrity guest stars such as Cher, Nirvana, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Olivia Newton-John, and the Backstreet Boys.

RuPaul remained on The RuPaul Show alongside Michelle Visage from 1996 to 1998, all while co-hosting a morning radio show on WKTU Radio and working on his music.

In the same year, in 1995, RuPaul released a second album titled Foxy Lady on Rhino Records. The first single, Snapshot, was a big success but the album failed to chart on the Billboard 200 and enjoyed limited mainstream success.

RuPaul’s Albums and Music Career

To date, RuPaul has released 16 studio albums in total:

• Supermodel of the World (1993)
• Foxy Lady (1996)
• Ho Ho Ho (1997)
• Red Hot (2004)
• Champion (2009)
• Glamazon (2011)
• Born Naked (2014)
• Realness (2015)
• Slay Belles (2015)
• Butch Queen (2016)
• American (2017)
• Christmas Party (2018)
• You’re a Winner, Baby (2020)
• Mamaru (2022)
• Black Butta (2023)
• Essential Christmas (2023)

His studio albums were mostly successful and combined with numerous public appearances that made him a bigger star in the industry. In 1997, for instance, RuPaul worked with Martha Walsh in the remake of It’s Raining Men, which was included in the 1998 compilation CD he titled RuPaul’s Go Go Box Classics. In 2006, he released a remix album titled Reworked, featuring reworked versions of his songs and several new recordings.

RuPaul’s Drag Race

In 2008, now one of the most famous drag queens in the world, RuPaul began producing a reality TV game show. RuPaul’s Drag Race aired on Logo TV starting in February 2009, featuring drag queens who competed to be selected by a panel of judges including RuPaul. The winner took the title America’s Next Drag Superstar. The very first “drag superstar” winner was BeBe Zahara Benet.

To strengthen his name as a television personality and promote his show, RuPaul appeared on several other shows in 2008 alone, including his appearance as a guest judge on Project Runway and his appearance as a guest chef on Paula’s Party.

RuPaul’s Drag Race has gone on to produce a total of sixteen seasons in the US, gaining international success and bringing in several variants on the show worldwide. These include Drag Race UK and Drag Race Down Under, both of which RuPaul hosts himself, as well as spin-offs like Canada’s Drag Race and shows in Spain, the Netherlands, and Thailand among others.

In addition to international variants of the show, RuPaul’s Drag Race has also inspired several spin-offs of the original show, including:

• RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (2012 to present)
• RuPaul’s Drag U (2010-2012)
• RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race (2020-2022)

Not long after the show started airing, mostly thanks to his work with RuPaul’s Drag Race, RuPaul became one of the highest-paid stars in reality television, standing in the ranks of Kim Kardashian, Simon Cowell, Kylie Jenner, and Ryan Seacrest.

He reportedly earned $50,000 per episode on RuPaul’s Drag Race by 2013, which adds up to around $700,000 a year for his role as a judge and a host, not including the spin-off earnings.

In comparison, he reportedly earned $50,000 in total for the full first season. Starting in 2023, he’s making around $1 million per episode on RuPaul’s Drag Race! This would mean that, for the last two years alone, RuPaul’s net worth has been growing by $16 million a year from RuPaul’s Drag Race alone, seeing how seasons 15 and 16 of the show have 16 episodes each.

Other Reality TV Appearances

RuPaul has been featured as a host on other reality series as well, including:

• Skin Wars between 2014 and 2016
• Good Work in 2015, a plastic surgery-themed talk show for E!
• Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul in 2016 and 2017, a game show for Logo TV
• RuPaul in 2019, a daytime talk show that was canceled after its three-week test run

In August 2014, RuPaul joined the reality competition show Skin Wars as one of the judges. In 2020, he was selected to host Saturday Night Live with Justin Bieber as the musical guest. That same year, he appeared on The Price is Right at Night as well as in the premiere episode of Canada’s Drag Race.

In 2021, RuPaul expanded his hosting career with two episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! In 2023, he started hosting a revival of the game show Lingo for CBS, as well as a celebrity version of the UK version of the show on ITV.

Some other television appearances of the drag queen include:

• Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: Sabrina’s Choice as the Witch Judge in 1998
• The Groovenians in the TV pilot, as Champagne Courvoisier in 2002
• Top Chef: San Francisco: Food of Love, as himself in 2006
• Project Runway, as a guest judge in season 5, episode 6, as himself in drag
• Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular, as himself in drag in 2013
• The Comeback: Valerie Films a Pilot, as himself in 2014
• The Muppets: Got Silk?, as himself out of drag in 2016
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show in season 15, episode 120, as himself in drag in 2018
• AJ and the Queen, as Ruby Red in the main role and as executive producer in 2020

RuPaul’s Acting Career

Over the years, RuPaul has made numerous appearances in films though the earnings from his acting career remain undisclosed. His more popular movie roles include:

• Crooklyn in 1994
• The Brady Bunch Movie in 1995
• But I’m a Cheerleader in 1999
• The Truth about Jane in 2000
• Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild in 2008
• Hurricane Bianca in 2016
• Show Dogs in 2018 (voiceover)
• Zombies 3 in 2022 (voiceover)
• Nimona in 2023 (voiceover)

Awards and Accolades

RuPaul has gained international fame and is a respected public persona, which has allowed his to win several prestigious awards and accolades throughout the years, including:

• 1999: GLAAD Media Vito Russo Award
• 2018, 2019: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program for RuPaul’s Drag Race
• 2018: Awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – the first drag queen to receive this recognition
• 2019-2024: Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program
• 2021: MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Host
• 2022: Tony Award for Best Musical for his work as a producer on the Broadway musical A Strange Loop
• 2022: Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in an Animated Program or Series for The Bravest Knight
• 2020, 2024: PGA Television Producer of the Year Award for RuPaul’s Drag Race

RuPaul Net Worth: Other Ventures, Activities, and Sources of Income

To say that the career of RuPaul Charles has been versatile would be an understatement. As one of the most famous drag queens in the world, RuPaul earns a fortune not only from his drag, but also from his books, podcasting, acting career, and much more. Let’s take a look at what makes RuPaul’s incredible wealth.

Podcasting

In 2014, RuPaul started his first podcast titled RuPaul: What’s the Tee? with Michelle Visage. Visage is RuPaul’s longtime friend and a fellow judge on the Drag Race show.

The podcast ran from April 2014 until the last episode in 2020, and features the hosts’ thoughts on interesting topics, such as the behind-the-scenes happenings of RuPaul’s Drag Race, some beauty tips, life advice, as well as conversations with featured guests from the world of entertainment.

Authorship

The life and story of RuPaul are unique and truly impressive, and he has told the public much about it in his published books. To date, RuPaul has published three books:

• 1995: Lettin’ It All Hang Out: An Autobiography
• 2010: Workin’ It! RuPaul’s Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style
• 2024: The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir

In 2018, RuPaul also voiced an audiobook titled A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo.

RuPaul’s Drag Conventions

RuPaul’s many collaborations with the production company World of Wonder include an annual drag-themed convention that takes place in Los Angeles. The RuPaul’s DragCon LA convention started in 2015 and was followed by RuPaul’s DragCon NYC.

During the convention, the public can meet RuPaul and the new and past contestants of the show, as well as other drag queens.

Foray into the Cosmetics Industry

In 2013, RuPaul partnered with Colorevolution and launched a debut makeup line that featured a beauty collection and pigment cosmetics. The line also included a unisex perfume titled Glamazon, available to women and men of all ages “who are not afraid to be fierce”. The collection was exclusively sold in gift sets on the Colorevolution website.

Endorsements and Public Speaking

The modeling contract with MAC Cosmetics might have been the most profitable endorsement deal for the drag queen, but this is by far not the only one. Over the years, RuPaul has lent his face to brands like Google’s Pixel, Old Navy, and Webex, among others. His earnings or the details from the endorsement deals haven’t been disclosed to the public.

In addition to endorsements, RuPaul makes public appearances at speaking events. He reportedly charges at least $150,000 to $300,000 per speaking engagement.

Real Estate

Last but not least, RuPaul Charles has an extensive real estate portfolio with his husband Georges LeBar. For starters, they own a $13.7 million mansion in Coldwater Canyon, Beverly Hills. Their West Hollywood property, a two-bedroom condominium is worth another $600,000. And, their firehouse in the NoMa section of New York City, which they bought in 1998, is worth around $350,000.

The most impressive, most expensive property the couple owns is the 60,000-acre ranch in Wyoming, which spreads to the South Dakota Border. While the value of his ranch remains undisclosed, it is known that his ranch leases mineral rights to oil companies.

What Can We Learn from RuPaul’s Story?

RuPaul’s story is truly impressive, with several valuable lessons that we should all learn. For starters, his story teaches us the power of persistence. Despite early struggles and setbacks, RuPaul’s perseverance in pursuing his passion led to his eventual success.

Next, it teaches us the importance of versatility and diversification. Diversifying interests and talents can create multiple streams of income, as well as many opportunities. RuPaul’s career spans television, music, writing, and business, which has allowed him to accumulate a fortune, as well as international fame.

Most importantly, RuPaul’s story teaches us the importance of authenticity. Being true to oneself and embracing one’s identity can resonate with audiences and build a loyal following.

Finally, RuPaul’s work has had a profound influence on the drag queen industry. The launch of his competition show is what brought drag culture into mainstream media. The show’s international success introduced a wide audience to the art of drag, making it more widely understood, accepted, and appreciated. The show has also provided a platform for drag queens to showcase their talent, leading to increased opportunities in entertainment, modeling, and brand endorsements for contestants.

By consistently featuring drag queens on television and various media, RuPaul has played a critical role in changing perceptions and reducing the stigma associated with drag culture. The show and RuPaul herself have also shown strong support for the ACLU’s Drag Defence Fund, created to fight anti-drag and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the US, with promotion on each US episode of the show.