RuPaul Andre Charles was born on 17 November 1960 in San Diego, California, United States, to Ernestine “Toni” Fontenette Charles and Irving Andrew Charles, both originally from Louisiana. His parents divorced when he was seven, and he was raised mainly by his mother alongside his three sisters.

At age 15, RuPaul moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to study performing arts. There he became involved in underground film, music, and nightclub culture, experimenting with drag performance and artistic expression. These early performances helped shape his identity as an entertainer.

In the late 1980s he moved to New York City, where he gained fame in the club scene and released music. His breakthrough came in 1993 with the hit song “Supermodel (You Better Work)”, which helped launch his mainstream career in music and television.

RuPaul later became the host and executive producer of RuPaul’s Drag Race, a reality competition show that began in 2009 and airs in the United States on MTV (formerly Logo and VH1). The show made him one of television’s most recognizable hosts and earned multiple Emmy Awards.

Today, RuPaul lives partly between the United States and Wyoming with his husband while continuing to host television shows, produce media projects, and release music and books.