RuPaul to add sparkle to daytime TV again
Trailblazing star to host test run of syndicated talk show this summer
NEW YORK — RuPaul Charles is here to shake up daytime TV, adding sparkle to a time slot long-dominated by “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “Dr. Phil.”
“Format, shmormat. We don’t stand on ceremony – we stand on stilettos, darling,” says the eminently quotable host of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” who’s temporarily moving from VH1 to Fox for a summer test run of syndicated daytime talk show “RuPaul.” “You never know what we’re going to do. That’s the beauty of life and being creative. Let’s go for it and do a lot of different things.”
Starting Monday, “RuPaul” will air for three weeks in seven markets nationwide, after which Fox will decide whether to order it to series, and producer Warner Bros. Telepictures can sell it to stations nationwide. The hourlong show, which tapes in Burbank, California, features a mix of style segments, comedy sketches and celebrity interviews, with first-week guests including Paula Abdul, James Corden and “Property Brothers” Drew and Jonathan Scott.
The set is modeled on the living room of RuPaul’s Los Angeles home, with bold patterns, metallic tables and a fuchsia-colored love seat. The idea is to create a bright atmosphere that encourages open dialogue and expression, with conversations that are both playfully funny and emotionally candid.
“I’m naturally inquisitive about people: where they’re from, what makes them tick and what makes them get out of bed in the morning, especially with all the mishegoss going on out there,” says RuPaul, 58, who’s known almost exclusively by his first name. “My whole goal in life,
whether there’s a camera or not, is to fall in love with the person I’m talking to. It’s about finding our common humanity, which isn’t very hard to do.”
“RuPaul” is the trailblazing drag queen’s second foray into daytime, after rising to fame in the early ’90s as a singer and actor. In 1996, he became the first openly gay national American TV host with the VH1 variety program “The RuPaul Show,” which ran for two seasons and featured him in full drag as he interviewed stars from Cher to Diana Ross.
“I grew up watching all the talk shows, from Mike Douglas and Dinah Shore, Johnny (Carson) and Merv (Griffin),” RuPaul says.
He plays coy when asked whether the towering wigs and skintight dresses will make an appearance on the new “RuPaul,” after he opted for sleek suits and thick-rimmed glasses in early shows. But he insists his latest stint will be no less disruptive, bringing a broader perspective to a genre that’s rarely been occupied by queer people of color.
“My 36 years in show business has taught me to look for value in places others may not have; to see the sweetness and kindness (in outsiders),” RuPaul says. “Drag has always been thought of as subversive throughout the ages, but I’ve been able to take something that society has thought of as subversive and turn it into something that 8-year-olds love.”
If it is renewed for a national 2020 launch, “RuPaul” would join the fourtime Emmy winner’s ever-expanding pop-culture empire. In addition to “Drag Race,” which wrapped its 11th season last month, he hosts the podcast “What’s the Tee?” and stars in upcoming Netflix comedy series “AJ and the Queen.”