Over the weekend’s 2021 Creative Arts Emmys, RuPaul made history, snagging his sixth-straight win for Outstanding Host For a Reality or Competition Program (which set its own record, tying Julia Louis-Dreyfus for consecutive wins) and tying as the most-awarded Black artist in Emmys history. Donald A. Morgan also holds the record, with 10 total awards.
“I started in television 40 years ago on a public access station in Atlanta, Georgia … a little show called The American Music Show,” Ru said in his acceptance speech. “They were so kind to me to have me do my hard yards there years ago, and I want to thank them for being so kind to me and all the people in this business who’ve been kind. I’ve got to tell you, the sweetness and the kindness is what I appreciate the most today. In fact, the sweetness and the kindness are at the top of my list of human virtues. After that would be a big fat ass. Thank you so much for this award.”
RuPaul’s Drag Race also took home a number of other awards for Outstanding Casting For A Reality Program, Outstanding Directing For A Reality Program, and Outstanding Picture Editing For A Structured Reality Or Competition Program. Untucked was also recognized for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program.
While RuPaul’s hit show has become a queer favorite over its many seasons, the creator has faced his share of criticism.Ru made headlines following an NPR interview last year, where he disclosed that he owns 60,000 acres of land in Wyoming. He reportedly leases the land’s mineral and water rights to oil companies, which prompted folks on social media to point out that he essentially admitted to fracking.
This followed an explosive interview with The Guardian, where Ru infamously said he would “probably not” accept a trans female contestant who had transitioned. “You can identify as a woman and say you’re transitioning, but it changes once you start changing your body,” Ru said. “It takes on a different thing; it changes the whole concept of what we’re doing.”
Since the 2018 interview, Drag Race included a number of contestants who are not cisgender men, including the American franchise’s first trans female winner, Kylie Sonique Love for All Stars Season Six, and first cisgender female competitor, Victoria Scone.
Ru is clearly a powerful figure, with many pointing out that the show essentially mirrors the problems with inclusion that drag artists face in the real world. Drag Race has surely worked to bring LGBTQ people and drag to the forefront of mainstream media—with Drag Race making steady steps toward a more inclusive, representative cast—and while OFM congratulations the LGBTQ media icon on the double record, we join the many LGBTQ folks who hope Ru continues to build his empire in a way that elevates all performers.
