Werk hard play hard. RuPaul’s net worth is why he’ll always be one of Hollywood’s most successful drag queens. But before we dive into how much RuPaul is worth, let’s look back on his career and ascent into the drag icon he is today.
RuPaul, whose full name is RuPaul Andre Charles, was born in San Diego, California, on November 17, 1960. His parents divorced in 1967, and he went on to live with his mom and three sisters. At 15 years old, RuPaul moved to Atlanta to pursue a career as a performer. In the years that followed, RuPaul went on to work as a backup singer for Glen Meadore and alongside drag queen icon Vaginal Davis. In 1993, RuPaul released his debut studio album, Supermodel of the World, which featured the hit single, “Supermodel (You Better Work).” RuPaul went on to sign a modeling contract with MAC Cosmetics and publish an autobiography, Lettin’ It All Hang Out.
In 1996, he became the host of his own talk show, The RuPaul Show, which became the start of the TV hosting career before the role most fans know him for today: the host of RuPaul’s Drag Race. RuPaul’s Drag Race, a reality TV competition that pits drag queens against each other in creative challenges, premiered on Logo TV in 2009. The show moved to VH1 in 2017 and has since released more than a dozen seasons, as well as spinoffs. So what is RuPaul’s net worth? Read on to find out.
How much does RuPaul make from RuPaul’s Drag Race?
TV Guide reported in 2013 that RuPaul made $50,000 per episode of Drag Race. At the time, Drag Race would produce between around nine and 16 episodes per season, so on a good year, RuPaul would take home around $800,000 per season for his role as the host, head judge, mentor of Drag Race. He also has a producing credit on the show. However, that was what RuPaul’s salary was back then when Drag Race was on Logo and not VH1. It’s unclear how much Ru makes per episode now.
What is RuPaul’s net worth?
The question we all want to know: What is RuPaul’s net worth? According to Celebrity Net Worth, RuPaul is worth $60 million, which accounts for the money he makes from Drag Race, as well as other outlets. Along with Drag Race, RuPaul has released 13 studio albums. He’s also an executive producer and creator on Drag Race spinoffs, like Canada’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race. In January 2020, Ru also was the creator and star of the Netflix series, AJ and the Queen. The show was cancelled after one seaosn.