Chad Michaels
Chad Michaels | |
---|---|
![]() Michaels at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2018 | |
Occupation(s) | Drag performer, Cher impersonator |
Years active | 1995 – present |
Known for | RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars winner; runner-up on season 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race. |
Successor | Alaska |
Website | "Chad Michaels Official Website". |
Chad Michaels is an American drag performer and professional Cher impersonator. He was the runner-up of the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, alongside Phi Phi O'Hara and the winner of the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars.
Early life
Michaels was raised in San Diego.[1] He originally went by the drag name "Brigitte Love." Michaels chose to perform under his own name after working at "An Evening at La Cage" in Las Vegas, which required the drag queens to use male stage names.[1]
Career
RuPaul's Drag Race
In 2010, Michaels competed in the first California Entertainer of the Year pageant, becoming first alternate to winner Shangela.[2]
In 2011, Chad was announced as one of the 13 queens competing on the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2012. Throughout the series, Chad won two challenges, including ""WTF!: Wrestling's Trashiest Fighters" as well as the annual "Snatch Game" (a parody of the Match Game) where he impersonated Cher. His performance as Cher received high praises from the judges and later became one of the best ever "Drag Race" Snatch Game performances in the show's history and made him one of the series' strongest competitors. He later made it to the final three and was close to winning the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", but lost to Sharon Needles. After his run on Drag Race, Chad now performs all over the world as Cher.
RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars
In the same year, Chad was announced as a contestant on the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars. During the series, he teamed up with Season 1 contestant Shannel. She however landed in the bottom two, alongside Mimi Imfurst, but survived the lip-sync, eliminating Imfurst and Pandora Boxx (due to Pandora being paired up with Mimi). Chad later won three challenges, including the make over challenge. He later made it to the finals again (becoming the first person in the history of the show to do so). He was later announced as the winner, beating Season 2 runner-up Raven, as well as securing a spot in the "Drag Race: Hall of Fame".
Michaels produces and performs with the DreamgirlsRevue, the longest running female impersonation show in California.[3] Performers in the Dreamgirls Revue include RuPaul's Drag Race contestants Delta Work, Raven, Detox, Morgan McMichaels, Raja, Shannel, and Venus D-Lite.[4] Morgan McMichaels is Michaels' drag daughter, from whom he took his last name.[5]
Michaels started touring with Farrah Moan in 2019 for the Burlesque tour, based on the Cher and Christina Aguilera movie.[6]
Discography
Singles
Year | Song | Ref |
---|---|---|
2013 | "Tragic Girl" | [7] |
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Bamboo Shark | Cher | ||
TBA | Maybe This Time | Stephen | Pre-production | [8][9] |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | MADtv | Cher impersonator at gay bar | Season 7, Episode 15 |
2003 | E! True Hollywood Story: Cher | Himself | |
2007 | Women's Murder Club | Glenn Whitney | Episode 9: "To Drag and to Hold" |
2009 | Kath & Kim | Cher | Episode 16: "Bachelorette" |
2011 | Top Gear | Cher impersonator | Series 17, Episode 3 |
2012–18 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Himself | Contestant (Season 4) – Runner-Up Guest Star (Season 8, Episode 1: "Keeping It 100!") Guest Star (Season 10, Episode 8: "The Unauthorized Rusical") |
2012 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | Himself | |
2012 | NewNowNext Awards | Himself | |
2012 | RuPaul's Drag U | Himself | |
2012-19 | RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars | Himself | Contestant (Season 1) - Winner Guest Star (Seasons 2-4)[10] |
2015 | Jane the Virgin | Cher impersonator | |
2015 | 2 Broke Girls[11] | Cher impersonator | |
2019 | The Ellen Show[12] | Cher | Guest |
2020 | AJ and the Queen[13] | Brian Gerrity/Cher | Guest appearance |
Music Videos
Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | "Glamazon" | RuPaul | [14] |
2013 | "Woman's World" (Remix) | Cher | [15] |
Web series
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | WOW Shopping Network | Herself | Guest | [16] |
2013 | Ring My Bell | Guest | [17] | |
2013 | RuPaul Drives | Guest | [18] | |
2013 | Transformations | Guest | [19] | |
2013 | It Gets Better | Guest | [20] | |
2014-2016 | Cher Tweets | Host | [21] | |
2014 | Raja Drawja | Guest | [22] | |
2014 | Bestie$ For Ca$h | Guest, with Morgan McMichaels | [23] | |
2016 | Eat It! | Guest | [24] | |
2018 | The Pit Stop | Episode: "A Jury of Their Queers" | [25] | |
2020 | The Vivienne Takes Hollywood | Guest | [26] |
References
- ^ a b Michaels in Peterson, Brian (January 5, 2012). "Untucked with Brian: Interview with Chad Michaels of RuPaul's Drag Race, Season Four". SeattleGayScene,com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
- ^ Addams, Calpernia. "California EOY 2010 – The Recap". Calpernia.com. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
- ^ "About Chad Michaels". ChadMichaels.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
- ^ "See Chad Michaels Perform with the Dreamgirls Revue!". World of Wonder. November 27, 2012. Archived from the original on February 18, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
- ^ Miller, Joshua (April 15, 2010). "The Scottish Scandal, Morgan McMichaels". Edge Boston. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
- ^ "Farrah Moan is not here for your criticism: "Walk a mile in my motherf**king Louboutins"". Gay Times. March 7, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ Dan Avery (August 12, 2013). "Get A Taste Of Chad Michaels' New Single, "Tragic Girl": LISTEN". NewNowNext.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ Hopkins, Jay (October 25, 2018). "Rupaul's Drag Race Winner Chad Michaels Joins Cast Of "Maybe This Time"". PureWow. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ Schiller, Rebecca (May 14, 2018). "Chad Michaels Discusses Cher Impersonator Role in New Film 'Maybe This Time': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ Rudolph, Christopher (January 22, 2018). "Chad Michaels And Alaska Live Their "Handmaid's Tale" Fantasy In New "All Stars" 3 Clip". NewNowNext. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ Tharrett, Matthew (December 9, 2015). "Chad Michaels And Victoria "PorkChop" Parker Do Primetime TV On "2 Broke Girls"". NewNowNext. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ Voss, Brandon (October 5, 2019). "Watch Sean Hayes Turn Back Time With Chad Michaels on "Ellen"". NewNowNext. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey (December 3, 2019). "RuPaul brings 22 Drag Race queens to costar on AJ and the Queen". EW.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ Robertson, Lindsay (April 23, 2012). "Video: RuPaul And Three Finalists Star In 'Glamazon' Video". NewNowNext. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ Avery, Dan (September 5, 2013). ""Drag Race" Queens Star In Video For Cher's "Woman's World": WATCH". NewNowNext.com. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ Chad Michaels as Cher on WOW Shopping Network. YouTube. July 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ Chad Michaels - Ring My Bell. YouTube. August 15, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ RuPaul Drives... Chad Michaels. YouTube. December 2, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ James St. James and Chad Michaels: Transformations. YouTube. August 27, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ RuPaul's Drag Race's Chad Michaels - It Gets Better - LogoTV. YouTube. July 25, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ Cher Tweets with Chad Michaels - Cher Impersonators. YouTube. November 25, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ Raja Drawja - Chad Michaels. YouTube. November 26, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ Chad Michaels and Morgan McMichaels – Bestie$ For Ca$h. YouTube. October 3, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ EAT IT! with James St. James! Chad Michaels & Friends Taste Crazy Oreo Flavors. YouTube. June 24, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ The Pit Stop Season 3 Episode 8: A Jury of Their Queers | RuPaul's Drag All Stars 3. YouTube. March 19, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ Damshenas, Sam (April 9, 2020). "The Vivienne reveals why her new show is "the biggest Drag Race challenge of all"". Gay Times. Retrieved March 15, 2020.