RuPaul has redefined the artistry that is drag in a groundbreaking way. But with all this success,
it might come as a surprise that RuPaul has been with his husband, Georges, for almost three
decades! You've got questions? We've got answers. Here is the truth about RuPaul's relationship.
"If you can't love yourself,
how in the hell you gonna love somebody else? Can I get a 'amen' up here?"
"Amen!" When it comes to
the drag scene and LGBTQIA+ culture, freedom of expression and limitless love are central themes.
And when it came to RuPaul, who has existed at the center of that culture for decades,
many fans made the easy assumption that he's been romantically linked to many different people.
But according to Affair Post, Georges is the only person whom RuPaul has ever publicly confirmed.
And it sounds like the queen of drag basically manifested the perfect partner for himself.
"We mock identity. We're shape-shifters. We are God
in drag. And that's our role, is to remind people of that."
RuPaul explained that Georges is not only his partner,
but also the answer to his prayers. He told Buzzfeed News,
"He's so kind and funny. I remember praying, 'I want a sweet,
sensitive man,' and I got an Australian who's just lovely."
Ru and Georges have been together for nearly three decades, but they've only been married
since 2017. As noted by the Daily Mail, the two met back in 1994. And while RuPaul went on to
create a literal drag dynasty, Georges has sought inspiration from within his marriage.
A talented artist, he has even shared some of his original paintings of Ru on his website.
Many of us might dream of hitting the dance floor and singing the night away, only to look up and
see the person of our dreams standing there. But for RuPaul, it actually happened this way!
According to the Daily Mail, Ru and Georges met at a nightclub in '94. And Ru explained to Oprah
that his now-husband caught his eye because of his outrageous dance moves. He recalled,
"I met Georges on the dance floor at Limelight in New York City, at the disco. He was on the
dance floor, dancing like a maniac. I had to go over and say, 'What are you going through?'"
"We got married in our living room. Five of us in the — we got married in our pajamas."
The pair got hitched on the anniversary of the night they first met.
If you've ever found yourself scrolling through a dating app and thinking to yourself,
"It would be so great to be with someone who is taller than me," you might have a little more in
common with RuPaul than you imagined. As it turns out, he wanted a taller partner, too! Clocking in
at 6 feet 7 inches, Georges' height was one of the first things that Ru noticed about him.
Ru recalled the moment that all of his tall, lanky dreams came true, telling Vanity Fair,
"I had to go over and say, 'Who are you? What are you doing? Can I put my arms around you?'"
Mama Ru, who is already a sky-high 6 feet 4 inches tall, told the outlet,
"I've never been able to put my arms around someone's shoulders who was taller than me."
"Why don't you take a picture — it'll last longer."
Of course, the height was just the icing on the cake. As we can guess, there must have been an
amazing initial spark and subsequent chemistry for the two to continue their decades-long
romance. Still, it appears that Ru is a lot like the rest of us. He joked with Oprah in 2013,
"[Georges is] taller than I am. So, of course, I had to notice him."
If you watched the iconic musical biopic "Rocketman," you'll at least have a bit of
an idea of what a hectic life in the spotlight can look like. Of course,
"Rocket Man" tells the story of famed musician Elton John and his spiraling journey to success,
but it reveals a little glimpse into Ru's early relationship as well.
"You don't equate RuPaul with kissing people."
Once Ru and Georges met, the beginning of the relationship was a quintessential whirlwind
romance. In fact, their early days together were once described as a "torrid affair," and after
just a week of meeting each other, the pair were reportedly traveling on Elton John's private jet.
As the story goes, Ru and Georges flew from Germany to London in complimentary luxury.
Given that 1990s-era Elton John was sober, yet still surrounded by sequins and industry icons
and life at its largest, we can only guess that the early days of Ru and Georges' romance
felt like something out of a movie. RuPaul is known for his dapper suits,
amazing laugh, and, of course, for the dazzling appearances in drag.
But what he isn't as well-known for, is being open about his personal life.
And the way in which he announced his marriage to Georges was very on-brand.
"Me? I'm just a humble gal with a little reality show."
As noted by Out, when "RuPaul's Drag Race" judge Ross Mathews casually brought up Ru's long term
relationship, asking, "Are you getting married?" Ru immediately responded by simply stating,
"We are married." In fact, the news was met with so much love and support
that Ru later took to Twitter to express his gratitude — with some song lyrics — writing,
"Thank you all for the love & kindness. 'I cry not for myself,
but for those who never felt the joy we felt' — [from] The Supremes, 'I Hear A Symphony'."
Fans shared the love in the comments, with one writing,
"You have brought us so much joy it's only right you get a little for yourself."
Not only is the drag scene full of bold and dynamic performers,
but RuPaul is, without question, the heartbeat of the community. Through his work, songs, and
his Emmy-winning show "RuPaul's Drag Race," Mama Ru has pushed drag into the mainstream, crafting
a community that is welcomed and celebrated. But even though Ru has spent decades in the spotlight,
it seems like Georges couldn't be less interested in the scene. Ru told Marie Claire,
"[Georges] doesn't care about show business at all. He could care less. Most of the time,
he's on the ranch in Wyoming. He has a 60,000-acre ranch — it's in two states,
it's in South Dakota, too. When I go there, I dress up in Western wear and nobody cares."
"When I'm there, I'm the only person wearing Western wear in a 500 mile radius."
If you were surprised to see how much Ru loves himself a cowboy hat and flannel, so were we!
For someone who commands such a presence, there isn't a whole lot known about Ru's private life.
But the queen of drag has maintained that there
has never really been curiosity from the public about it. He told Oprah in 2013,
"My love life has never been of interest to people because that's not something they're
interested in. You know, of course I have a love life. I have a real life outside of
show business. And, you know, I've been with this man for the past 19 years."
"With Georges, y'know, um, y'know, he, 22 years — y'know, I can be myself with him."
It's safe to say that there's at least a little curiosity surrounding Ru's marriage to Georges,
but it doesn't look like Mama Ru is letting up any time soon. He even keeps his Instagram
pretty professional — and rarely does he post anything about his relationship.
Ru is known for a number of things — gorgeous outfits, wigs, a face beaten by the gods — but he
is also known for being upfront and honest. This approach applies to not only "RuPaul's Drag Race,"
but also to Ru's personal life. And whenever he's asked about his relationship with Georges,
Ru has been rather blunt. He once told Oprah,
"[Georges] is devoted to me, I'm devoted to him, and that's the end of the story."
"That man loves me more than anything else in this world."
But as time has gone on, Ru has opened up a little more about his love life. He revealed that the
bond he shares with his husband is truly something special and unique, telling The Guardian,
"[It] is crazy. It's rare. The truth of the matter is that there aren't many people that I like.
I'm usually bored by people, you know. I'd rather be alone reading a book or something."
Georges and Ru have been together longer than most marriages last in Hollywood,
but they have a few tricks up their sleeve when it comes to making it work. Ru got
candid in an interview with The Guardian, where he spoke about their marriage dynamic. In fact,
he credited their open relationship to the reason they've been together for so long. He explained,
"[Georges] and I are very respectful of one another.
He and I know that on this planet where there are millions and millions of people,
the person I have found on this planet that I like the very most is him."
The iconic TV personality went on to say that he knows the feelings are mutual and that there is
no question in his mind that Georges always has Ru's best interest at heart. Ru added,
"If [Georges] needs to do something else somewhere else, I'm fine with that. He is
respectful of me. He would never turn it into something that would make me feel uncomfortable,
and I wouldn't do that to him either."
Seems like this power duo has certainly discovered their own secret to a lasting and happy marriage.
The typical line about long-distance relationships is that they never work out. But all things
considered, that doesn't seem to be the case for Ru and Georges. As it turns out, for the bulk of
their long relationship, they've spent most of their time apart. RuPaul did a sit down with
Judge Judy for Interview Magazine, and when the topic of his relationship came up in conversation,
Ru revealed that he and Georges only see each other intermittently. He clarified,
"[We spend time together] about every three weeks. [But] we're adults. We can handle it."
Due to Ru's hectic work schedule, the couple spend ample time away from each other, but,
as Judge Judy put it, they serve as each other's, quote, "home anchor." Ru added
that it's Georges who is always thinking of Ru, no matter the situation. Ru added,
"That's really key. And if you actually like each other, even better."
The queen of drag went on to reveal that his relationship with Georges is akin to
that of taking a cross-country road trip with someone — and, after all that time together,
if you still want to talk to the other person, he says, "you are friends forever." Sounds like
Ru and Georges are in it for the long haul. While Ru may not be spending every waking minute
on the ranch, the couple is still busy managing the natural resources on all that land that they
own. Contrary to what we might have imagined, Ru revealed just how his farm operates, telling NPR,
"A modern ranch is really land management. You lease the mineral rights to oil companies. And
you sell water to oil companies. And you then lease the grazing rights to different ranchers."
Well, our visions of Ru collecting farm-fresh chicken eggs each morning just went out the
window! According to FracTracker, it appears that the ranch does implement the use of fracking.
But since we know Ru to be a shrewd businessman, we can assume that he makes his estimated $60
million dollar fortune however he wants. As "RuPaul's Drag Race" once tweeted Ru as saying:
"All sins are forgiven once you start making a lot of money."
"I couldn't be more happy to see my kids succeed. And you really did."
Ru and Georges have never had children. And as it turns out,
the two are actually on opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to the topic.
During a sit down with The Guardian, Ru revealed that Georges actually adores children,
but admitted that he, himself, doesn't have the time to give kids what they need
to truly thrive. Ru explained that if the couple did have children, raising them would
become his full-time job. And, that considered, he doesn't have the desire to do it. He admitted,
"I've never wanted to do it. I love kids, but it's mainly because I'd have to deal
with the other parents. People are f---ing insane, and it would be terrible for my kid,
because I would be telling off the other parents."
Still, it doesn't seem as though Ru is completely against the idea
of maybe one day having a family. He said,
"But who knows? It could still happen,
sure. If [Georges] wanted to do it tomorrow, I would do it."
And as Ru clearly knows, even if he one day walked away from entertainment altogether,
his iconic status isn't going anywhere. He said,
"My legacy is set in stone."
"As my high school dealer, Dwayne, used to say, 'That's some good s---, right?'"
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