MY NEXT GUEST IS AN ACTOR, DRAG QUEEN, MODEL, AUTHOR, AND
RECORDING ARTIST.
PLEASE WELCOME RuPAUL CHARLES.
♪ ♪ ♪ ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: LOVELY TO MEET YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
COME ON UP.
( APPLAUSE ) >> YOU'RE PLAYING "I'M COMING
OUT."
I LOVE IT.
>> Jon: YEAH!
>> Stephen: WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> IT'S A GREAT, GREAT HONOR TO MEET YOU.
I LOVE YOU.
>> Stephen: I LOVE YOU, TOO.
LISTEN I DON'T NEED ANY COFFEE WITH THAT SUIT ON.
YOU GOT ME WIDE WEAK RIGHT NOW.
>> THIS OLD THING.
I WAS GOING TO THROW THIS AWAY BEFORE YOU CALLED, AND I THOUGHT
STEPHEN COLBERT, YES.
>> Stephen: SOLAR FLARE PLAID.
>> YES!
>> Stephen: LET ME SHOW THE PEOPLE RIGHT HERE FOR PEOPLE WHO
MAY BE SURPRISED TO SEE YOU NOT AT YOUR MOST FABULOUS RIGHT NOW.
LOOK AT THAT BEAUTIFUL-- ( APPLAUSE )
RIGHT THERE.
THAT'S EXTRAORDINARY.
NOW, I'VE GOT A QUESTION TO ASK YOU.
WHEN I INTRODUCED YOU, I SAID AMONG YOUR OTHER THINGS YOU'RE
KNOWN FOR I SAID "DRAG QUEEN."
CAN I AS A WHITE, STRAIGHT MALE WHO LIVES IN THE SUBURBS AND
DRIVES HIS VOLVO TO PICK UP HIS KHAKIS FROM THE DRY CLEANER, IS
THAT OKAY FOR ME TO CALL YOU A DRAG QUEEN?
>> IT IS OKAY.
YOU CAN CALL ME-- YOU CAN CALL ME REEGEIS AND KATHIE LEE.
I DON'T CARE.
HONESTLY.
>> Stephen: I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE.
>> I'M NOT THAT KIND OF A QUEEN.
THE THING ABOUT DRAG QUEENS IS DRAG QUEENS DON'T TAKE LIFE TOO
SERIOUSLY.
THE IDEA-- YOU CAN TALL ME ANYTHING.
IT'S JUST A NAME.
BUT YOU SAID-- YOU SAID "DRAG QUEEN."
I'M NOT JUST DRAG QUEEN.
I AM THE DRAG QUEEN.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) NUMBER ONE.
>> Stephen: ALL RIGHT.
>> IT'S TRUE!
IT'S TRUE, THOUGH, YOU KNOW!
>> Stephen: WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, YOUR MAJESTY.
HOW DID YOU-- AS I WAS SAYING BEFORE, THIS IS PRIDE WEEK.
THIS IS GAY PRIDE WEEKEND.
THE PRIDE PARADE IS THIS WEEKEND.
WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE LIKE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER?
HOW DID YOU COME OUT TO YOUR FAMILY?
DO YOU MIND SHARING THAT STORY WITH US?
>> I NEVER CAME OUT.
I WAS NEVER IN.
THERE WAS NO WAY FOR ME TO BE IN, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
I WAS ALWAYS RU.
>> Stephen: IS THAT YOUR REAL NAME RuPAUL?
>> THAT IS MY REAL NAME.
MY MOTHER WAS FROM LOUISIANA.
RUE IS HOW THE BASE.
SHE WANTED TO PAY HOMAGE TO HER BACKGROUND, HER HERITAGE.
IT'S MY REAL NAME.
I ALWAYS TELL KIDS, ANY YOUNG KID, CHANGE YOUR NAME, BECAUSE
DON'T WANT YOUR REAL NAME ON PUBLIC RECORDS.
SO IF YOU'RE STARTING IN SHOW BUSINESS, CHANGE YOUR NAME
BECAUSE YOU'RE SITTING AT THE GYNECOLOGIST'S OFFICE AND ALL OF
A SUDDEN, YOU KNOW, THEY CALL YOUR NAME OUT, AND EVERYBODY
GOES, "SHE'S UP HERE GETTING HER ( BLEEP ) CLEANED."
YOU KNOW, RuPAUL?
RuPAUL!
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
WHAT DID I SAY?
WHAT-- DID I SAY SOMETHING-- DID I SAY SOMETHING WRONG?
>> Stephen: NOT AT ALL.
NOT AT ALL.
NOIN THE LEAST.
NOT IN THE LEAST.
>> SO CHANGE YOUR NAME.
CHANGE YOUR NAME.
>> Stephen: SO IS IT A MISTAKE FOR ME TO BE STEPHEN COLBERT?
>> DOES YOUR GYNECOLOGIST KNOW?
>> Stephen: I DO NOT GO NEARLY ENOUGH, MY FRIEND.
I CAN-- I'LL SHOW YOU.
I TOOK A STAB AT DRAG ONCE.
TELL ME HOW I DID.
s THIS IS ME RIGHT THERE.
WHAT DO WE THINK?
>> LOOK AT ALL THAT ASS!
>> Stephen: YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
I IT WILL IS BY THE POUND, MY FRIEND, BY THE POUND.
>> YOU KNOW, YOU LOOK LIKE SELMA BLAIR IN THAT PICTURE.
>> Stephen: WHAT?
>> GORGEOUS.
>> Stephen: THAT'S QUITE A COMPLIMENT.
>> DO YOU SEE SELMA BLAIR IN THAT PICTURE.
>> Stephen: I TOTALLY SEE SELMA BLAIR IN THAT PICTURE.
I CAN TELL YOU A QUICK STORY ABOUT THIS.
I HAD THIS PHOTO AND MY BROTHER JAY SHOWED THIS TO MY BROTHER
TOME.
AND HE GOES, "TOMMY, CHECK THIS OUT."
AND MY BROTHER TOMMY GOES, "HOW DO WE KNOW HER?
HOW DO WE KNOW HER?" AND MY BROTHER JAY POINTS AT ME,
AND TOMMY LOOKS AT THIS AND LOOKS AT ME AND GOES, "ALL
RIGHT, HOW DOES STEPHEN KNOW HER?"
I WAS QUITE COMPLIMENTED.
I DO PASS MUSTER.
>> WHAT IS HER NAME?
DOES SHE HAVE A DRAG NAME?
>> Stephen: PAUL WOULD KNOW.
WAS IT RAVEN?
>> THAT'S A GOOD NAME.
SHE'S GORGEOUS.
HOW DIFFERENTLY DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL --
>> IT MADE ME FEEL BEAUTIFUL.
>> I THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD DO DRAG.
HONESTLY.
EVERYBODY-- IT'S NOT JUST BECAUSE I'M, YOU KNOW, FOR THE--
YOU KNOW, SORT OF TWISTED REASONS.
IT'S AN IMPORTANT-- IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW YOUR YING FROM
YOUR YANG.
>> Stephen: AND OCCASIONALLY HAVE YOUR YING CLEANED OUT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) IT'S HIM.
NOT ME.
I THINK I GOT THAT RIGHT.
YOU CAN TELL ME ABOUT THIS YOUNG MAN.
TELL ME ABOUT THIS YOUNG MAN RIGHT HERE.
THIS IS YOU AT WHAT AGE?
>> 19.
I WAS 19 HERE.
JUST STARTING OUT MY CAREER.
AND, YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO DO-- IT TOOK ANOTHER 11 YEARS FOR
ANYTHING TO HAPPEN.
BUT I HAD A GOOD TIME HERE IN NEW YORK, YOU KNOW, SLEEPING IN
THE-- YOU KNOW, IN THE CENTRAL PARK UNDER THE PIERS AND, YOU
KNOW, TRYING TO MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN IN NEW YORK.
AND IT TOOK 11 YEARS.
AND I STRUGGLED, STRUGGLED, AND HERE I AM TODAY ON THE "STEPHEN
COLBERT SHOW."