RuPaul may be the one true constant in RuPaul’s Drag Race, but Michelle Visage is a close second. Since season 3, Visage has appeared as a main judge alongside Ru. In many ways, Visage filled the spot of Simon Cowell on American Idol, serving as the “tough love” judge that provided the competitors with candid (and sometimes harsh) critiques.
While certain Drag Race fans may take issue with Michelle Visage’s judging style on Drag Race, she is largely adored by the LGBTQ+ community and considered a true ally. Whether viewers are unsure about Visage or are already fans, there’s a lot more to her than what devotees have seen on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Updated Sept. 2, 2021 by Paul Ciampanelli: Michelle Visage's breast explantation documentary Explant premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2021, and a third season of RuPaul's Drag Race U.K. is set to debut in September 2021.
Michelle Visage Was Adopted
A lesser-known fact regarding Michelle Visage is that she was adopted. She grew up with her adoptive parents in South Plainfield, New Jersey, but then moved to New York City to pursue her dreams of becoming a star.
In later years, Visage went on to meet her biological mother. According to what she has shared on the What’s The Tee? podcast, Visage has come to terms with the decision her mother had to make at an early age.
Michelle Visage Is Very Different From Her Drag Race Persona
On RuPaul's Drag Race, Michelle Visage is often the target of jokes regarding her sexual appetite, unrestrained lifestyle, and affinity for night life. However, Visage’s Drag Race persona could not be further from the truth.
In reality, Visage has never done drugs, has never been a big drinker, and was actually quite picky about her relationships and life decisions. This means that, even though Michelle Visage is not a drag queen, the Visage we see on Drag Race is simply a character, much like the over-the-top personas crafted by the queens who compete on the show.
Michelle Visage Bought Her Father A House With Money From The Bodyguard Soundtrack
1992’s The Bodyguard, starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, is one of the most iconic and commercially successful movies of the 1990s. It also generated arguably the best movie soundtrack of the '90s. It featured “I Will Always Love You,” which would go on to become one of Whitney Houston’s most popular and beloved songs of all time.
The popularity of “I Will Always Love You” turned the soundtrack for The Bodyguard into the best-selling soundtrack of all time, with over 45 million copies sold around the world. So, what does Michelle Visage have to do with it? Track 9 of The Bodyguard soundtrack was “It’s Gonna Be A Lovely Day” by The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M., which happened to be a girl group that featured Michelle Visage as the lead vocalist.
The money that Visage made from “It’s Gonna Be A Lovely Day” on The Bodyguard soundtrack allowed her to buy her father a house.
Contractual Obligations Kept Michelle Visage From Being A Drag Race Judge
The plan had always been for Michelle Visage to be a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race. However, Visage was still tied to contractual obligations with CBS Radio when the show premiered, preventing her from joining the judging panel on seasons 1 and 2.
It wasn’t until season 3 that Michelle Visage would finally be able to join RuPaul's Drag Race as a main judge. Ever since that season, she has appeared in every episode of the series, including the All Stars spinoffs, RuPaul's Drag Race U.K. and RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under.
Michelle Visage Is A Huge Fan Of Musicals
Michelle Visage is a diehard musical theatre fan. Both on Drag Race and on the What’s The Tee? podcast, Visage is constantly referencing Broadway, musicals, and theater legends.
In 2018, Michelle Visage finally realized her dream of being cast on a major Broadway production. Between October of 2018 and January of 2019, she played Miss Hedge in the West End production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. After Visage's time on the show, Drag Race season 6 winner Bianca Del Rio joined the production as well.
Michelle Visage Has Been Married Since 1997 And Has 2 Kids
On Drag Race, Michelle Visage projects the persona of a woman who has many sexual partners. However, she has actually been in a very monogamous marriage for over 20 years. With husband David Case, Michelle Visage has two kids.
It might be shocking to certain RuPaul’s Drag Race fans that Visage isn’t actually the girl she appears to be on TV, but knowing that she has been married since 1997 and is a mother of two adult daughters certainly adds a fun flair to the person we see her portray on television.
Michelle Visage Had Her Breast Implants Removed In 2019
One of the defining visual cues for Michelle Visage had always been her large breast implants. However, she found out in 2019 that she had Hashimoto’s disease and that her breast implants were allegedly causing (or at least worsening) her illness.
In 2019, Michelle Visage went through with the surgery to remove her breast implants, a process that is known as “explanting.” She documented this journey from the very beginning with a camera crew that followed her around, and the footage was used to make a documentary titled Explant. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festibal in June 2021.
Michelle Visage Is A Huge Star In The UK
She may be best known in the United States as a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, but in the U.K., Michelle Visage is a household name. Across the pond, Visage was cast on the British edition of Celebrity Big Brother, served as a judge on Ireland’s Got Talent, and competed on the 17th season of Strictly Come Dancing.
Naturally, Michelle Visage was also brought on as a judge for RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K., which had a great first two seasons. The third season of RuPaul's Drag Race U.K. is set to premiere in the fall of 2021, and, of course, Visage will return as a judge.
Michelle Visage's Biggest Idol Is Madonna
Early in her career, Michelle Visage dreamed of becoming a huge blonde popstar with several hit songs and world tours. More specifically, Visage really wanted to be Madonna.
It is not hard to find interview snippets of Michelle Visage talking about her absolute adoration for Madonna, and how the popstar largely defined her early career goals. Even now, Visage is still a fierce Madonna fan who has campaigned over many years for the singer to appear as a guest judge on Drag Race.
Michelle Visage Is The Only Drag Race Judge Who Tours With The Queens
Over the course of many seasons and spinoffs, RuPaul’s Drag Race has had many judges, some who were very hands-on, and others who were pretty hands-off. In any case, nothing compares to how involved Michelle Visage is with the franchise, so far as to going on world tours with the queens who compete on the show.
To put it into perspective, the Drag Race judges don’t keep any official ties to the queens after their time on the show. On the other hand, Visage often goes on to tour with the queens and takes time to build deeper business (and sometimes personal) connections with them.