The RuPaul Show (1997) - RuPaul and Michelle Visage go to a night club in New Jersey 

Asking ms Visage if she’s a drag queen is literally me watching rpdr the first time

To share this journey with your girl is everything. That's why they finish each others sentences.

Michelle looks DARLING & so magical with red hair!!!

Michelle is THE ally & legitimacy the only celeb I would be star struck in front of-I absolutely ❤️her. Beautiful, kind woman

“Oranges” they both said it so in sync lol 🤣🤣🤣🤣

weather those men are closet gay or not I personally think that they like going to club like that cause it is a place they're appreciated and they can be crazy and have fun without "society" judging them I think thats why a lot of straight men likes drag shows cause they feel appreciated

I used to watch Ru's show back in the day.. I have ALWAYS loved her and appreciate so much what she's done for the LGBTQ+ community and drag in general. I'm a bi female and LOOOVE drag!

Looking at their history really makes me appreciate how far they’ve come

That's so weird, seems like there was less toxic masculinity back in the day. Idk if heterosexual men could be that confortable in a drag Queen show today... That's sad we missed this era ! Hopefully the fact that the drag culture is getting mainstream, hope it would get better 🙏🏾 Of course thanks to RuPaul for his work in the community

Damn! This was put out the same year I was born.. Ru: "I'm gonna key your fuckin' Car." 😩😂😂😂

97 was such an awesome year!!! I loved this show

Thank you, Rupaul, for making everybody feel welcome! You look amazing then and now!!! Your personality is a shining light in this world!!!

Girl , that underwear band with the label “ structure “. It’s been 84 years , and I can still remember the fresh paint.

Actual heterosexual to michelle - Are you a drag queen? Michelle - was that a question or a read?

37 year old Ru and 29 year old Michelle, glorious to look back and see their chemistry was there from the start

I remember tuning in for this on VH1 back in the day. so brilliant to see the show again, thankyou for the upload

This is soooo cute lol wow. They were about the age I am now, I just turned 30 on July 16th. Their journey is so inspiring.

I love this version of Rupaul

god they’ve always been BEAUTIFUL and so charismatic

Michelle always goes on & on about how great Madonna is, meanwhile I’m over here fan girl-ing the heck outta Michelle all these years #atrueicon

Agh the flat hair Michelle! 90s staple look. The flair was the little bow clip. Omg Awh-Dow-Able!!!!

"actual heterosexual" Is sending me 😂😂

Damnnn! Watching the video feels like we went backwards. People seemed to be more accepting and tolerant before.

Back when ru does her own makeup. That wig is so shiny! I miss barbie wigs

I miss it when straight men were comfortable in their sexuality.

“Are you a drag queen”? ☠️😂

4:52

he asked if MV was a drag queen... lol... too funny!

Michelle talks exactly like Madonna in some timeframes. Crazye!

Man Michelle be looking so GOOD omg

The fact this was over 20 years ago and they have barely aged

How can straight men be more accepting in 1997 then 2022😭😭

Oh it's Celine Dion!

Rob was cute af.

5:21 I thought I heard Kennedy Davenport as Little Richard Vocalizing 😂

I can’t believe this was almost 30 years ago

She looks SO MUCH BETTER HERE!

Michelle Visage could’ve been the mother of Bella & Gigi. 🫣

That one guy in the structure-brand boxers that are basically to his knees... SO 90S XD LOL

He needs to do another talk show

Good times!

The new queens need to realize who paved the way!

RU did put in the work 🫶🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Even Rupaul’s celebrating Renaissance!!

Holy shit, how far we have come since this time they were remarking on progress already made. LET US FIGHT TO CONTINUE PROGRESS AND FIGHT AGAINST ANY ATTEMPTS TO REVERSE IT

I loved this!!!!💖💖💖

Omg so iconic !!!

Michell been riding those coat tails FOREVER

But tbh, at least where I lived, Brazil, finding out I was gay in the 80's was absolutely horrible, it was a shock, and as a teen I constantly thought that suicide was my only way out. I'm glad I never carried out the idea. But there was bullying everywhere, and the feeling that I was defective, and the attempt to pretend that I was attracted to the opposite sex, I even forced myself to try and like the opposite sex, all in vain (the more I denied the reality, the stronger the feelings for guys got). People looked at LGBT's like ET's, there was so much animosity, rejection and hate. And there still is. It has never been easy and it will never be, one way or another. I heard awful comments about other LGBT's, and I'm sure behind my back there were many awful comments about me too (and many to my face too). If you're an LGBT teen, brace for the rejection, but never give up.

Omg they were sooooo smoll 💖💖

Rob was hella cute!

How cool that VH1 had the balls to make this show and it aired across the world... Well done....

Michelle visage has always been a ally to the community what a icon she is

The fact he was openly himself back in the 90s when is was honestly “tolerated” to be different speaks volumes and shows how strong Ru really is, kudos to him for always living in his truth 💯🙌❤️

Look at little baby Michelle! Awww. It’s also crazy how Rupaul has looked pretty much exactly the same since 1990 lol

The arrow with the "actual heterosexual" had me dying LMAO 🤣

The funny thing is, the 90s was actually really an abysmal time, really not a gay-friendly decade at all. For all you youngsters commenting on this video I would want you to know that this video was not typical. Vh1 did show some stuff produced by World of Wonder in the late 90s. However, the mainstream was extremely bland and conservative. You need to look back at the 80s. That decade was nuts. Truly colourful, diverse, fun, experimental, wild, avantgarde. Gay pop stars were at the top of the charts. An androgyny craze, with Boy George looking like a woman and Annie Lennox looking like a man. It was an incredible time. The 90s hit and it was like a backlash. Everything became drab. So as for me, growing up through that time, I have to say the 80s seemed much more accepting, and the 90s were kind of scary

This is the reason why I always do a face palm when they see current ru Paul and say she does nothing and she barely moves, like hunn, she's been doing big moves shaking the queer and drag culture into mainstream for 30+ years. Sure she's a controversial character but she's done some cool stuff

I used to watch Ru as a kid . One day I asked my mom , why is she so tall? He said well that's a man in a dress. And I just said ok lol I'm 32 now and I still watch Ru! I also didn't recognize Michelle!

this is so crazy, i don't think michelle would've imagined the future being a permanent judge on rupaul's show that ended up being this big

She made her own pit crew back in the day

Bruh, this was filmed a year before I was born, so basically at that time my parents were having fun like these people

Honestly, say what you will about either of them individually or together, they are bff goals

"To see RuPAWWL" 🤣 I love their Jersey accent! Also this video is pretty nostalgic and I'm not even a nineties baby 🥹 and Rob was cute and so innocent lmao

this is made in 1997 yet this is still the future wow everything is still funny and great! Rupaul is an icon!

I barely recognized Michelle Visage!!!

fracking aside RuPaul has really contributed a lot to the LGBTQ+ community

This was 1997 and her wig is laid

I see the title michelle visage & while watching the video, my thought ; where is she? After 4 minutes watching it, wait a minute, is that her? I then recognise the voice. Omg, it is her. I don’t recognise at first. 😂

😂they all gave me the vibes that they were secretly gay but back then didn’t want to be out casted

For people who try to hate on Ru and Michelle just look at the doors this two lovely ladies have opened for a whole community. Love, inclusion, open minds. Im so in awe of these 2 human beings EVERYBODY SAY LOVE!!

clubs used to be a LOT of fun back then!

Mischelle really is giving me bitch I’m Madonna

It is so fucking amazing to see RuPaul being his genuine self throughout the entirety of his life. I have to utmost respect and love for that queen

“Are you a drag queen?" 🤣😂

My dad fell asleep and this would come on, and I remember as a kid thinking RuPaul was a very tall blonde lady

This segment brings me so much joy, we’ve both come so far and have so far to go.

Ru serving body-ody-ody!

I love all the straight cis men that come to see Ru. Hardly ever see that even today.

The shade to Michelle “are you a drag queen?” Oh my god🤣 im laughing hard

When i was a kid, I didn’t even know or realize that Rupaul was a man. He just looked like a tall blonde model to me.

Michelle earned her right to be a judge. I don't get why is Raja questioning her about it 😅

I think the queen who’s most alike to this rupaul in every aspect might be Shangela. I guess that’s why Ru believed in her so much because she may have seen herself in Shangie.

When dude said the reason why he came to the show was because “…my friend Joelle said it was free, so…” 🤣 OMG Rupaul tried to pass what he said by laughing but Michelle didn’t smile AT ALL when he said that! I was SO embarrassed for them!

They were pretty attractive men they featured back then. Ru couldn't keep her hands off the straight guy lol. Thanks for the upload BTW. I'm now slowly slipping down that 90's rabbit hole again 😂

Just based on this, it seems men were way more comfortable in their sexuality back then. Sad to see where we've ended up...

This is why I hate it when ppl rag on ru. That man was a gay black drag queen in the late 80s and up to now, everyone absolutely adored him. Here's someone who really did open doors...way before gia.i just think he deserves more credit

Despite all of Ru’s greediness and shade (and possibly being a clone lol) she really paved a road that was begging to be paved.

Such good times & to see the fruits of all their hard work & friendship 💕

The actual heterosexual rob is a daaaddyyyy

The "Actual heterosexual" thing was hilaroussss

“Actual Heterosexual” ➡️➡️➡️

Michelle Visage was an ACTOR, a figure of action in the community since long ago. She's asking these guys dangerous questions that make them uncomfortable and being unapologetic about it. Her character on the media feels like a smidgen of what she's done for the community. I hold her in such high regard.

I love Rupaul and Michelle together, there love and friendship has been super beautiful for so many years. Tbh for years I automatically thought Michelle was a drag queen, I think purely because of how relaxed and accepting she is 💕🌈

To think of them talking at the start about Ru's impact and all the boys who would want to be like him - look at the empire he has built now!

Fast forward to 2023 and there are over 500 anti-LGBTAI lawsuits…the struggle continues! 🏳️‍🌈

I love how Michelle looks so different while Ru looks basically the same

"its probably huge" sent me 🤣

Dang, 25 years just flew by!!!😨😨🤤

These two practically raised this little weirdo. Them and Dr.Phil ... Thankfully I also get to raise my own kids on them, so congrats yall are grandparents now lol. True power couple these two 💖🙌👽🧿🌿