Inside RuPaul and Husband Georges LeBar's Famously Private Love Story - E! Online (2024)

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RuPaul Relishes Being in Highest Point of His Career

For more than 30 years,RuPaulhas been expanding the world of drag for others by being true to himself.

And if the performer born RuPaul Andre Charles has won 14 Emmys and countless hearts and minds in the processof building an empire, so be it.But while his vibe isfearless individuality, the 63-year-old RuPaul's Drag Racecreatorhasn't been dominating the runway of life alone.

"For the love of my life, Georges LeBar," read the dedication in RuPaul's2024memoir TheHouse of Hidden Meanings. "Thank you for the love, laughter, sweetness and kindnessto the love of his life. You are my favorite."

And while it wasn'texactlylove at first sight, RuPaul really did see his future husband from across a crowded room.

As he detailed in his book, he was newly single andout dancing at Chelsea hotspot Limelight on Jan. 24, 1994, when hespotted a man who seemed to be a head taller than everyone else on the floor. No slouch at 6-foot-4 in bare feet, the then-33-year-old "Supermodel" performer was drawn to the guy's goofy moves, describing him as "gorgeous and a little wild, with a thick unibrow and high cheekbones."

So RuPaul headed in his direction.

RuPaul asked if he could put his arms around his shoulders, not used to hugging such a tall man. Georges agreed and literally swept him off his feet.

They ended the evening talking at Florent, a nearby restaurant, and exchanged numbers.The next day, RuPaul—having an extra business class ticket no longer going to his ex—invited Georges to accompany him to London, where he was cohosting the BRIT Awards with Elton John.

RuPaul wrote that he felt "immediately comfortable" with Georges and trusted him "instantaneously," but also realized upon arrival that his"innocent, wide-eyed" date would be no help "either getting me into drag or working as security."

After Georges graduated from FIT (RuPaulput together the music for his final runway show, a mash-up of Tina Turner's "Disco Inferno" and Dolly Parton's "Baby I'm Burnin'") he got a job as a designer for J. Crew. But RuPaul—who was traveling all over as his star rose—admittedly wanted Georges free to go everywhere withhim.

After a while, RuPaul wrote, he realized their arrangementhad "diminished [Georges'] sense of personal purpose,"so heasked him to oversee the renovation of their condo in Miami.

Left to his own devices in Miami while RuPaul wastraveling and living part-time in Los Angeles, Georges ended up needing to go to rehabfor a meth addiction, according to to the book. RuPaul wrote that he wanted Georges to move to L.A. with him after he finished treatment, but Georgeswanted tostay in Florida to focus on his sobriety.

So, RuPaul told him, they'd have to break up. They still talked every day, their split not destined to be permanent, but RuPaul chose this period of his life forThe House of Hidden Meaningsto end on.

"He's so kind and funny," RuPaultold BuzzFeed in 2015 of his longtime partner, same-sex marriage still a few weeks away from becoming legally recognized all over the U.S. when the article was published June 2."I remember praying, 'I want a sweet, sensitive man,' and I got an Australian who's just lovely."

And while the whole "you better work" thing appliesto their relationship as much as anyone's,the couple have tailored their coupledom to suit their needs.

"I don't stand on ceremony, I never want to conform to anything," RuPaul said, shrugging off a question about whether he and Georges planned to marry. "We looked into it if we could get a tax break and stuff."

But the question, Rupaul added, was never, "Is he devoted to me? Am I devoted to him? Oh, hell yes. I never want to be like everybody else."

Less than two years later, on the 23rd anniversary of when they met, RuPaul and Georges quietly tied the knot. Because love. And also, because taxes.

"We never wanted to do it," RuPaul admitted toHollywood Today Live in March 2017, revealing he was a married man. "We were looking into it really for tax breaks and financial [reasons]."

The newlywed followed up on what was then Twitter a bit later, writing,"Thank you all for the love & kindness. 'I cry not for myself, but for those who never felt the joy we felt'~The Supremes 'I Hear A Symphony.'"

And they've kept standin' close to each other, thoughGeorges doesn't care about show business at all, according to his husband.Still, the artist and designer turned rancher isn't entirely off the radar, attending the Met Gala and the Emmys in 2019 and joining his spouse atRuPaul's DragCon in 2022.

In the meantime, he and Georges have had a ball traveling (they're sightseeing-by-helicopter fans) and doing other non-showbiz-relatedactivities.

So, knowing RuPaul has been happily ensconced with the love of his life for years, the fact thatthey have an open marriage may come as a shock.

Whichisn't an arrangement they decided on, per se."The hoax is that monogamy is something that can actually happen," RuPaul toldVanity Fairin 2019. "I wouldn't want to put restraints on the person I love the most on this planet. I wouldn't do that to someone Ilove, my very best friend."

Meaning, "if you get something happening that you cannot resist and that's going to make you happy, go for it," he explained. "Because the truth is, I know, in my heart of hearts, like I've never known anything before, that man loves me more than anything else in this world."

And it certainly hasn't made them any less committed to each other. When RuPaul was talking to the New Yorkerahead of the March release of his book, Georges reportedly FaceTimedhimfrom a hospital bed, where he was recovering from a minor medical procedure. "I love you," RuPaul said before signing off.

Not to mention, at the time they were in the process of building a fortified compoundon their propertyin Wyoming."Humans on this planet are in the cycle of destruction," RuPaul explained. "I am plotting a safety net."

He"wouldn't call it a bunker," he added. "But it is designed to withstand calamity."

To put it mildly, that sounds like a plan fortwo people planning to stick together, come hell or high water.

"He's my favorite person," RuPaul told NPR, explaining why the ending of his book was nowhere near the end of his and Georges' story. "I've met so many people on this planet. I like him the most. I like him the most of anybody I've ever met."

Speaking of couples who make it work, read on for more secrets of the longest-lasting duos in Hollywood: