16 Interesting Facts About RuPaul

RuPaul's parents split in 1967. He grew up with his mother, who was awesome.Her name was Toni Charles. Neighborhood kids called her “Mean Miss Charles.” She smoked Tarryton's daily. Her favorite phrase was “Toni Charles was her name. Neighborhood kids called her “Mean Miss Charles.” She smoked Tarryton's daily. Her favorite phrase was ""Apparently, that's where Ru gets her filthy mouth from...According to his

biography, RuPaul was kicked out of Patrick Henry High School in 11th grade for skipping class. He later attended the Northside School of Performing Arts near Atlanta, GA, but he did not graduate there.RuPaul left Patrick Henry High School in 11th grade because of constant truancy. He went to the Northside School of Performing Arts near Atlanta, GA, but he did not graduate there either. Nobody ever said being fabulous is easy...

In 1989, downtown club glitterati voted RuPaul the “Queen of Manhattan” after gaining fame working the club scene for years. She once toldRolling StoneShe said it was "a great social commentary, and people responded to me in drag like I never experienced before."

RuPaul has been with Australian-born Georges LeBar since 1994. They met at the Limelight nightclub in New York City right after RuPaul's career started to take off. Today, LeBar runs aA 60,000-acre ranchin Wyoming.

Yup. RuPaul sleeps with a stuffed donkey namedJimmy. And when he cannot sleep, helistensto the audiobook of Eckhart Tolle’sThe Power of Nowto absorb its message in his sleep.

RuPaul once had a cameo onWalker, Texas Ranger. No, seriously, check it out:Season 7, Episode 3, "Royal Heist." She played Bob, and the whole episode features gangs.

RuPaul is slim and tall. As a drag queen, she towers over other queens, coming in at 6'4" before heels.heels. And those heels are no joke – she wears a men's size 13.heels. She wears a men's size 13.

toldRolling StoneRolling Stone: “I haven’t found a heel that’s been too high for me yet. The highest I’ve found are eight inches. Now if you have pumps that are closed, that can be painful. But if you have open-toed shoes, it’s no problem.” Just for reference, Ru would be an even 7' tall in 8" heels...

In the '80s, RuPaul was a struggling musician and filmmaker. A story published byThe Bitter Southerner, "in Atlanta, RuPaul often performed at the Celebrity Club as a bar dancer or with his band,Wee Wee Pole." Ru also performed as a backup singer for Glen Meadmore with fellow queen bee Vaginal Davis.

In 1996, Ru became aspokesperson for MAC Cosmeticsand helped raise money for the VIVA GLAM Mac AIDS Fund. This made Ru the first drag queen to land a major cosmetics campaign. You go girl!

1989 was a strange year. The B-52s released their hit "Love Shack," which featured RuPaul as a dancing extra. The video gained huge popularity and launched Ru's stardom.

Ru once told theThe Friskythat at Gompers Junior High School, he won both “Best Afro” and “Best Dancer.” RuPaul was basically young Michael Jackson if he did drag instead...

OnFebruary 24, 2014RuPaul got to ring the closing bell for NASDAQ on Wall Street.Drag RaceShe represented Logo TV, the parent company of Viacom.

RuPaul tells amazing stories about her mother in a 2013 interview withUS WeeklyRu said her Louisiana-born mother Ernestine "Toni" Charles created the "Ru" part of RuPaul using "roux," the base for gumbo and other Creole stews and soups.

An interview revealsRuPaul's childhood obsession with drag racing.withUS WeeklyIn 2012, RuPaul mentioned his childhood obsession with hot rods, Cadillacs, and drag racing.

RuPaul recorded an album for Funtone in 1985 calledSex FreakYears later in aninterviewRuPaul regretted the album title. He said it meant he was a sexual oddity, an androgyne. People saw it as a freak for sex.

RuPaul always knew she was special. She once toldContemporary Black BiographyAt five years old, she realized she was a superstar in a five-year-old's body. She had to do something about that!

Years later, in an interview withSpinShe said even then she saw the world differently. She did not do what other kids did; she viewed things as an observer, an outsider, like an alien.