When you think of RuPaul, marriage isn’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind. You’re much more likely to think of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Michelle Visage, style superstar Carson Kressley, or the hilarious Ross Mathews before you get around to thinking about marriage. However, the Queen of Drag has an ace up her sleeve, and it goes by the name of George LeBar.
That’s right ⏤ RuPaul Andre Charles, known as just RuPaul or Ru, is indeed married. That might come as a surprise to some, but those close to the famous drag queen are familiar with his dating status. And while he has created a drag competition whose success hinges on drama, RuPaul’s dating life has been relatively drama-free.
So, who is RuPaul’s husband?
George LeBar hasn’t always been RuPaul’s husband, but the two have been together for nearly three decades. In 2017, Ru surprised everyone on Hollywood Today Live when he announced that he and his Australian partner LeBar had finally tied the knot. In the interview, he said, “You know what? I don’t think I’ve said this. I’ve never said this on television before. We are married.”
As it turns out, Rupaul and LeBar met back in 1994 on the dance floor of a New York nightclub. It was LeBar’s birthday. RuPaul told Hollywood Today Live that he and his now-husband had made their pairing official on the 23rd anniversary of their meeting, meaning LeBar’s birthday.
In the nearly 30 years of their relationship, the pair has only been photographed in public a handful of times, and Ru hardly posts his beau on social media. In the same conversation with Hollywood Today Live, he said LeBar “doesn’t care about show business at all” and prefers to stay at home on his farm in Wyoming. LeBar lives on a 60,000 acre farm, a swath of land so large it bleeds into South Dakota. “We see each other about every three weeks,” Ru told Judge Judy in a conversation published by Interview Magazine. “But, you know, we’re adults. We can handle it.”
As it turns out, getting married was never something RuPaul had in the back of his mind. Neither was monogamy. In a 2019 interview with Vogue, he opened up about his relationship with LeBar, saying “I love him too much to try to put shackles on him. Love is free. It’s not that sort of romantic surface thing we all bought into. He is my most favorite person that I’ve met.”
That likely means LeBar and RuPaul have indulged in other partners from time to time, but neither have commented on it or been spotted in public with such, choosing, once again, to keep their private lives private. Such privacy comes as a surprise from a personality as big as RuPaul’s, but 40 years in the industry has clearly taught the Queen of Drag a thing or two about longevity. As it turns out, an open and private relationship might just be the key.