RuPaul's Net Worth Is a Lot More Than a Cash Prize of $200,000
RuPaul
RuPaul may have charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent, but he's also got a huge net worth to go along with it. He's not just a drag queen (a drag queen? A DRAG QUEEN?), but the self-proclaimed "Queen of Drag," and I think it would be hard for anyone to contest that title. The "Supermodel of the World" has not only established himself as THE face of drag, but has also migrated the entire art form squarely into mainstream society. Since the launch of RuPaul's Drag Race on Logo TV in 2009 (with that blurry vaseline lens), the franchise has grown to be an international phenomenon, creating an entire subculture and economy of drag specifically related to the show. The brand now has spinoff series in a dozen-plus countries with more on the way.
In addition to being the host and producer of Drag Race, RuPaul also bring in plenty of money from his other ventures, including his massive music catalog, real estate and a canned cocktail line. Mama Ru is certainly doing well for himself. He has 15 Emmys, making him the most decorated person of color in history at the TV awards show, and in 2022 earned a Tony for A Strange Loop. He's halfway to an EGOT, but while he waits for a Grammy on a Kim Petras track or a Supporting Actor Oscar, he has plenty of cash to keep him company.
So how much is RuPaul really worth and how did he earn all that money? Here's everything we know about RuPaul's net worth in 2024:
How did RuPaul get famous?
RuPaul, whose full name is RuPaul Andre Charles, was born in San Diego on Nov. 17, 1960. At age 15, he moved to Atlanta, where he began his performing career and started performing in drag using his first name. As a young performer in Georgia, and later New York, Ru appeared in music videos (like the B-52's "Love Shack"), at night clubs, in avant-garde films and on variety shows.
In 1993, RuPaul's star began to rise when he recorded his first album Supermodel of the World, which included the hit single "Supermodel (You Better Work)." After the album's success Ru spent the next fifteen years solidifying himself as one of the world's most famous drag queens. He appeared in a revolutionary ad campaign for MAC Cosmetics, recorded several more albums, and continued his acting career both in and out of drag. From 1996-98, Ru hosted a VH1 talk show titled The RuPaul Show along with future Drag Race judge Michelle Visage.
In 2009, RuPaul launched RuPaul's Drag Race, which began as a niche 9-episode long series on Logo TV. The drag competition show, however, quickly became a hit with queer audiences, building a loyal fanbase that eventually spilled over into mainstream and global success. The rest, of course, is herstory.
What is RuPaul's Net Worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, in 2024 RuPaul is worth a whopping $60 million. But you need a lot of money to look like RuPaul. In an interview with Money, Ru confessed to spending up to $10,000 on a single gown. When asked how many $10,000 gowns he owns, Ru responded, "Oh, I don’t know. I’ve lost count. Our show has been on the air for 10 years, and there are—I don’t know—14 gowns per season? So..." With his net worth, RuPaul could buy 6,000 gowns, which is 16-years worth of gowns if you wore one a day.
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How much does RuPaul make from RuPaul's Drag Race?
It's impossible to say exactly how much RuPaul earns from Drag Race, but it's certainly well into the millions each year. TV Guide reported in 2013 that RuPaul made $50,000 per episode at that point, while InTouch stated in 2023 that Ru then earned $800,000 per episode. However, these numbers presumably just pertain to Ru's appearance fees. As a producer on the show and as the namesake of the international franchises (which he also produces), the number he makes each year off Drag Race would be significantly more. Not to mention that Ru most likely gets paid for the use of his music in each episode as well. That's quite a pretty penny.
How much does RuPaul make off real estate?
It's unclear how much money Ru has made off real estate, but he certainly owns plenty of it. In 2019, he purchased a Beverly Hills mansion for $13.7 million dollars, the same one he later toured with Architectural Digest. He also owns an apartment in New York that he purchased in the '90s and a condo in West Hollywood that he bought in 2007 for just $600,000. Most controversially, Ru also owns a 60,000-acre ranch in Wyoming, which he leases to oil companies for water and mineral rights purposes.
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How much does RuPaul make from fracking?
In a 2020 interview with NPR, RuPaul, while discussing his Wyoming ranch, stated that he and his husband "lease the mineral rights to oil companies" and "sell water to oil companies." This immediately caused an uproar among fans who pointed out the negative environmental effects of fracking. Since the NPR interview, however, Ru hasn't commented on the fracking, and it's unclear how much money he makes off the deal or if he is still working with the oil companies at all.
How much does RuPaul make off his music?
While it's unclear exactly how much RuPaul makes off his impressive catalog of music, it's certainly a pretty penny. As of January 2024, Ru had racked up an impressive 753,000,000+ streams on Spotify alone. With individual streams earning somewhere between $0.003 and $0.005, that puts Ru's income at around $2-to-4 million mark. Of course that's just on Spotify, so Ru has probably made way more than that on music over the course of his career.
How much does RuPaul make from House of Love cocktails?
Everybody say "LOVE"!! RuPaul expanded his empire in 2022 with the arrival of a canned cocktail-and-mocktail line branded House of Love. It's unclear how much money Ru has made from this venture, but he's splitting the cash with World of Wonder, the production studio behind Drag Race, the owners of which co-created the brand with Ru. The line was launched in partnership with Svedka Vodka, and can be found predominantly in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles
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