Mama Ru covers it all “Supermodel,” addiction, having sex with a man named John Wayne, Aretha Franklin accidentally calling him “Ruth Paul” in new memoir.
You already knewRuPaulas the Emmy-winning host ofRuPaul’s Drag Race, the First Lady of Drag, and a pop icon who done already done had herses when it comes toinfluencing culture with her hit song “Supermodel"and gender-bending take on celebrity; but, as his new memoirThe House of Hidden Meaningsreveals, there’s a world of fabulous secrets hiding under Mother’s sky-high wig.
Deliberately sashaying away from Mama Ru’s tenure at the center of his reality TV juggernaut (he even shies away from referencingMichelle Visage, his longtime friend and fellow judge, even once)The House of Hidden Meaningscenters on the first 40 years of the 63-year-old’s life, from his upbringing in San Diego to his first high-heeled steps in professional drag in Atlanta and eventual superstardom as the “Supermodel of the World” following his move to New York City.
Moenkebild/ullstein bild via Getty Images; Dey Street Books
In its pages,The House of Hidden Meaningsis both a philosophical ode to perseverance and a juicy revelation, with piping-hot tea on everything from icy celebrity interactions to admitted missteps in RuPaul’s life and career but not without poignant observations about how he overcame them.
Of the many secrets RuPaul reveals in the book, he shifts from dropping hilarious tidbits about his childhood (like the time her survived a near-collision with fighter jets, or the time he fired an Uzi into an empty field) to heavy topics on life, sex, and relationships, including a moment he suggests he was groomed by a counselor at a gay center, substance abuse, and his tumultuous early relationship with his now-husband, Georges LeBar.
Moenkebild/ullstein bild via Getty Images; Dey Street Books
And then, there are the shady moments you’d expect from a drag queen like his recollection of meetingMadonnafor the first time at the Pyramid club in New York, where he alleges she met him with “derision” (EW has reached out to Madonna for comment) through to his revelation that he was once fired from aRobert Palmermusic video for doing quaaludes.
Read on for all of the highlights from Mama Ru’s new memoir,The House of Hidden Meanings, whichis available now.
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