Michelle Visage

Early life

Visage grew up in New Jersey. She was adopted and was aware of this from an early age. Visage, adopted by two Jewish parents, was raised Jewish. Her biological father was also Jewish, while her biological mother was a Catholic of Hungarian, Irish, and Italian descent. Despite living in a town without many Jewish people, her parents worked to make sure she could attend Hebrew school and have a bat mitzvah, as well as having a Catholic confirmation. She attended South Plainfield High School in South Plainfield, New Jersey, graduating in 1986.

When Visage was 16, she won a Madonna lookalike competition. She then moved to New York and attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan for two years. Growing up, Visage looked up to Madonna, Belinda Carlisle, Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks, Cyndi Lauper and Dale Bozzio. After finishing her studies she stayed in New York City to pursue a career as an actress.

In New York she was active in the club scene. Her mother Arlene gave her a fake ID so she could make connections to help further her career. Visage's mother died when she was 30. Visage became prominent in the New York drag ball scene and learned voguing from various people including Willi Ninja. She also became involved with Cesar Valentino and the pair appeared voguing together on the television show The Latin Connection in 1988, which they said was the first time voguing had appeared on national TV.

Michelle adopted her surname, Visage, after gaining the nickname "cara" ("face" in Spanish) from walking the face category while in the New York ball scene. However, because people pronounced it incorrectly she decided to change it to "visage" ("face" in French). She has kept the name since that time. Visage also met her future friend and co-star RuPaul for the first time in the late 1980s, when she attended club nights and parties hosted by Susanne Bartsch. In 1989, Visage performed at "The Love Ball", which was organized by Bartsch as a benefit for the Design Industries Foundation For AIDS. It is said that The Love Ball is where Madonna first witnessed voguing, the inspiration for her song "Vogue". During the day she worked as a receptionist at the shop Casablanca and Fundamental Things in the New York garment district.

Career

Music recording and music videos

Visage auditioned and won a place for Seduction, an R&B and dance vocal trio assembled by Robert Clivilles and David Cole that signed with A&M Records in 1990. The group had several hits, the most famous being "Two to Make It Right". After the group's breakup, Visage collaborated with the freestyle dance act TKA as a guest vocalist on the song "Crash (Have Some Fun)". Visage provided lead vocals and was the recording artist of another dance act assembled by Clivilles and Cole, The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M. The song "It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day", which was a cover version of the Bill Withers song "Lovely Day", was included on the soundtrack to The Bodyguard. "It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day" became a number-one dance single and peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1993.

Visage has also been featured on several of RuPaul's music albums, and appears in the music videos for "New York City Beat" and "From Your Heart", which originally premiered on RuPaul's Green Screen Christmas Special (2015), and were later uploaded to World of Wonder's YouTube channel. Visage has also made guest appearances in the videos for RuPaul's songs "Glamazon", "Responsitrannity", "The Beginning" and "Nothing for Christmas".

In February 2021, it was confirmed that Visage had teamed up with Steps on a reworked version of "Heartbreak in This City".

Radio and podcasts

Visage was the co-host of the morning show on WKTU in NYC from 1996 to 2002 where she and co-host RuPaul started working together professionally. When RuPaul left radio, Visage continued on to many morning shows including: Hot 92 Jamz (KHHT) in Los Angeles between 2002 and 2005. In 2005, Visage returned to New York City, where she served as co-host of The Morning Mix on WNEW-FM until December 2006. She also hosted on Sirius Satellite Radio's The Beat 66 from 2003 to 2006 On March 12, 2007, she became a co-host of the morning show on SUNNY 104.3 in West Palm Beach, Florida. On January 10, 2011, she joined 93.9 MIA in Miami as the host of the new MIA Morning Show. She left Miami and MIA in December 2011, moving back to Los Angeles.

Visage started co-hosting the weekly podcast RuPaul: What's the Tee? on April 9, 2014. The pair interview celebrities and discuss many topics ranging from their personal lives to RuPaul's Drag Race. The podcast won a 2018 Webby Award. Visage also presented Michelle Visage's Fabulous Divas on BBC Radio 2, with episodes broadcast in December 2019 and August 2020. In October and November 2020, she covered for Rylan Clark on his BBC Radio 2 show and in February 2022 she covered for Dermot O'Leary on his Saturday weekend breakfast show. As of 15 July 2022, she has begun presenting her own show each Friday night from 7 until 9pm on BBC Radio 2. In February and March 2025 Michelle covered for Elaine Paige on Sunday.

Television

Visage has worked with RuPaul on a variety of television shows throughout her career. In 1996, she became the co-host of RuPaul's VH1 talk show The RuPaul Show. She also co-hosted WKTU's morning show with RuPaul from 1996 to 2002. When RuPaul began casting judges for season one of RuPaul's Drag Race, he invited Visage to become a permanent member of the show. At the time she was on a five-year contract with a CBS radio station in West Palm Beach; after asking her boss if she could join the show he said no, which Visage put down to the show's links with the LGBTQ community.

''RuPaul's Drag Race''

Two years later, Visage was contacted again by RuPaul and invited to appear on season three of the show. After her boss once again said she was not able to appear, she was persuaded by her friend Leah Remini to contact CBS officials who allowed her to join the show as a judge. On January 24, 2011, Visage debuted as a permanent judge, along with Santino Rice and Billy B, on season three of RuPaul's Drag Race, replacing Merle Ginsberg. She has also appeared on all ten seasons of the spin-off show, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.

In 2019, she received her first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Competition Program, having been a producer of Drag Race since its eleventh season. That same year, she became a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race UK, which airs on BBC Three. In 2021, Visage served as a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under.

In 2024, it was confirmed that Visage would be the permanent host on the fourth season of Drag Race Down Under, taking over for RuPaul who had hosted the first three seasons.

Other appearances

On January 7, 2015, Visage became one of the contestants on the fifteenth series of the British reality series Celebrity Big Brother on Channel 5. On February 6, 2015, Visage left the house in fifth place. Since leaving the house she has appeared on some episodes of Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side, a companion show that airs straight after Celebrity Big Brother.

Visage has made several other TV appearances including hosting VH1's red carpet coverage of the 1998 Grammys and in 2002, Grease 25th-anniversary re-release party. On May 13, 2017, she and Ross Mathews were the commentators for Logo TV's coverage of the Live Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest. More recently she has appeared as a judge on the first two seasons of Ireland's Got Talent, the first of which began airing on TV3 in February 2018. And in 2020, Visage joined fellow Ireland's Got Talent judge Louis Walsh on the judging panel of teen recycled-fashion competition Junk Kouture. She appeared on the televised Grand Final in February 2021, after the plans for the original live Grand Final were scuppered by COVID-19.

''Strictly Come Dancing''

On August 5, 2019, it was announced that Visage would be taking part in the seventeenth series of Strictly Come Dancing in the UK on BBC. On September 7, it was confirmed that she was partnered with Giovanni Pernice.

;*Green number indicates Michelle & Giovanni were at the top of the leaderboard. ;*Red number indicates Michelle & Giovanni were at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Theater

Visage performed in her West End debut as "Miss Hedge" in Everybody's Talking About Jamie between October 18, 2018, and January 26, 2019.

She played Morticia in the West End premiere of The Addams Family in concert opposite Ramin Karimloo as Gomez in February 2024.

Personal life

In her early years, Visage had anorexia, which she says began when she was around 13 years old and continued into her adult life. Visage is vegan.

She lives in California with her husband, David Case, who she married in 1997, and her two children. On November 10, 2015, she published her first book, The Diva Rules.

On What's the Tee?, her podcast with RuPaul, Visage said that as an adult, she has had sex with men and women. "I've been with women; I've had sex with women... But I realized I never wanted to have a relationship [with them]."

In April 2019, Visage revealed she had Hashimoto's disease, and so had her breast implants removed.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Guest appearances

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Emmy Awards

Miscellaneous awards and honors

Notes

References

References

1. (March 9, 2018). "5 Things We Learned from Michelle Visage's 'Vulture' Interview".
2. (September 18, 2017). "Michelle Visage on her Jewish roots". Jewish Journal.
3. "Michelle Shupack, Class of 1986 – South Plainfield High School – Classmates".
4. (2018). "Michelle Visage Is To==ugh Because She Loves You".
5. Visage, Michelle. (2015). "The Diva Rules: Ditch the Drama, Find Your Strength, and Sparkle Your Way to the Top". [[Chronicle Books]].
6. "Bio". Michelle Visage (official site).
7. (May 6, 2013). "'A Bitch I Have to Know': A Q&A With RuPaul's BFF Michelle Visage".
8. (October 23, 2014). "Cesar Valentino".
9. (February 27, 2014). "RuPaul Drives... Michelle Visage".
10. (November 10, 2015). "Michelle Visage Talks 'Diva Rules,' 'Drag Race,' and Friendship with RuPaul: 'I'm a Very Lucky Gal'".
11. (March 9, 2018). "Michelle Visage on Meeting Mama Ru – "B*tch, I've Been Watching You for Years" – Her Fave "Drag Race" Lip Syncs & More".
12. Hochswender, Woody. (May 12, 1989). "Vogueing Against AIDS: A Quest for 'Overness'". The New York Times.
13. (April 25, 2018). "The Historic, Mainstream Appropriation of Ballroom Culture".
14. Henry, Grace. (2019-08-05). "Strictly's Michelle Visage looks completely different in young photos".
15. (1990). "Discogs TKA".
16. "Billboard Charts 1993".
17. (January 26, 2015). "RuPaul and Michelle Visage New York City Beat Official Music Video".
18. (January 1, 2016). "RuPaul – "From Your Heart (feat. Michelle Visage)"".
19. (October 7, 2012). "RuPaul Glamazon music video (feat. Sharon Needles, Chad Michaels and Phi Phi O'Hara)".
20. (October 25, 2012). "RuPaul Responsitrannity music video".
21. (June 5, 2013). "RuPaul's "The Beginning" music video (feat. Alaska, Jinkx Monsoon, Roxxxy Andrews)".
22. (December 10, 2015). "RuPaul – "Nothing for Christmas" Official Music Video".
23. (February 17, 2021). "Michelle Visage joins pop legends Steps as 'unofficial sixth member' for boptastic musical comeback".
24. "One week to go! FIRST PLAY of #HeartbreakInThisCity with @MichelleVisage on @bbcradio2 February 25th at 7:50am then available to download/stream that morning".
25. (December 15, 2018). "Who is Michelle Visage From 'RuPaul's Drag Race' and What Is Her Net Worth?".
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27. "Radio Industry News, New Music, Music Promotion, Radio Station Song Charts - AllAccess.com". All Access.
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32. "Michelle Visage's Fabulous Divas".
33. (2022-06-08). "Major weekend schedule changes at BBC Radio 2 this summer".
34. (April 11, 2018). "Who is Michelle Visage? Is she gay? RuPaul's Drag Race judge and longtime LGBT+ ally – PinkNews · PinkNews".
35. (July 28, 2017). "An Interview with the one and only Michelle Visage".
36. "Leah Remini's Friend, TV's Michelle Visage, Says Scientologists Are "Scattering Like Roaches" {{!}} The Underground Bunker".
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39. (January 18, 2021). "'I cannot wait': RuPaul and Michelle Visage to judge Drag Race Down Under – in New Zealand".
40. "RuPaul steps down, Michelle Visage to host 'Drag Race Down Under'".
41. Tangcay, Jazz. (2024-03-11). "'Drag Race Down Under' Season 4 to Be Hosted by Michelle Visage".
42. (February 6, 2015). "Michelle Visage defeated by Katie Price in Celebrity Big Brother Final".
43. (September 18, 2015). "CBB: Michelle Visage and Bianca Del Rio throw shade".
44. The Daily Telegraph Staff. (January 9, 2015). "Who is Michelle Visage? Meet the Celebrity Big Brother contestant". Daily Telegraph.
45. (April 27, 2017). "Eurovision returns to the United States".
46. "Michelle Visage signs up to judge Ireland's Got Talent | Attitude Magazine".
47. (September 5, 2018). "Michelle Visage asks Ireland's Got Talent viewers to vote for talent not just acts from their area for season 2".
48. O'Loughlin, Ciara. (October 11, 2020). "Drag Race's Michelle Visage to judge Irish Junk Couture competition alongside Louis Walsh".
49. Debnath, Neela. (August 9, 2019). "Michelle Visage: Who is Strictly Come Dancing 2019 star Michelle Visage?".
50. (September 19, 2018). "Everybody's Talking About... Michelle Visage".
51. "Michelle Visage and Ramin Karimloo to Star in The Addams Family Concert | Playbill".
52. (November 6, 2015). "WISE WORDS: Michelle Visage On The Importance Of Loving Ourselves".
53. (November 16, 2019). "A guide to Strictly Come Dancing's Michelle Visage's tattoos: from a diamond on her hip to a top hat on her thigh".
54. "Introducing Celebrity Big Brother Star Michelle Visage".
55. Visage, Michelle. "The Diva Rules: Ditch the Drama, Find Your Strength, and Sparkle Your Way to the Top by Michelle Visage — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists". Goodreads.com.
56. "Episode 214 - The L Word".
57. Quinn, Dave. (April 12, 2019). "Michelle Visage Says She Had Her Breast Implants Removed Due to Her Hashimoto's Disease".
58. (February 24, 2014). "iTunes – Music – Born Naked by RuPaul". iTunes.
59. (October 2014). "iTunes – Music – Eternal Queen by Manila Luzon". iTunes.
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63. Game Grumps. (July 24, 2019). "Playing Viva Pinata with Michelle Visage + Lillie". [[YouTube]].
64. (October 28, 2021). "Queen of the Universe judges reveal how they'll mold drag divas into 'the best of the best' pop stars".
65. Joey Nolfi. (October 29, 2021). "RuPaul's new Christmas movie unites the largest Drag Race cast in history".
66. (December 21, 2021). "Drag Race announces UK All Stars edition – with a gag-worthy twist".
67. Michael Schneider. (October 18, 2022). "Michelle Buteau's Upcoming Netflix Comedy Adds Five More to Cast, Including Michelle Visage and Sarah Cooper (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com.
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69. ""72nd Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners"".
70. ""Television {{!}} Reality & Constructed Factual in 2020"".
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73. (August 23, 2022). "National Television Awards 2022 nominations revealed".
74. (October 12, 2015). ""Condragulations! Michelle Visage Receives Special Award at Glasgow's Icon Awards!"".
75. (December 9, 2017). "See The OFFICIAL Winners List From The WOWIE Awards 2017 Voted By YOU!".
76. "WOWie AWARDS Honor Best in Pop Culture 2017".
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78. (December 7, 2019). "World of Wonder's 2019 WOWIE Awards Winners!".
79. (November 29, 2019). "VOTING ENDS TODAY! Cast Your Votes NOW for World of Wonder's 2019 WOWIE Awards".
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82. (February 11, 2020). ""Deutsche Bank – Top 10 Celebrity Allies 2020"".
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84. "Drag Royalty Winners".
85. "Podcast Winners".
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95. (2022-05-08). "Bafta TV awards 2022: the full list of winners".