Chad Michaels

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.

Chad Michaels
Michaels at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2018
OccupationDrag performer, Cher impersonator
Years active1995 – present
Known forRuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars winner; runner-up on season 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race.
SuccessorAlaska
Website"Chad Michaels Official Website".

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
  1. 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.
  2. Addams, Calpernia. "California EOY 2010 – The Recap". Calpernia.com. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  3. "About Chad Michaels". ChadMichaels.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  4. "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.
  5. Miller, Joshua (April 15, 2010). "The Scottish Scandal, Morgan McMichaels". Edge Boston. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  6. "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.
  7. Dan Avery (August 12, 2013). "Get A Taste Of Chad Michaels' New Single, "Tragic Girl": LISTEN". NewNowNext.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  8. Hopkins, Jay (October 25, 2018). "Rupaul's Drag Race Winner Chad Michaels Joins Cast Of "Maybe This Time"". PureWow. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  9. Schiller, Rebecca (May 14, 2018). "Chad Michaels Discusses Cher Impersonator Role in New Film 'Maybe This Time': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  10. 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.
  11. Tharrett, Matthew (December 9, 2015). "Chad Michaels And Victoria "PorkChop" Parker Do Primetime TV On "2 Broke Girls"". NewNowNext. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  12. Voss, Brandon (October 5, 2019). "Watch Sean Hayes Turn Back Time With Chad Michaels on "Ellen"". NewNowNext. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  13. Nolfi, Joey (December 3, 2019). "RuPaul brings 22 Drag Race queens to costar on AJ and the Queen". EW.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  14. Robertson, Lindsay (April 23, 2012). "Video: RuPaul And Three Finalists Star In 'Glamazon' Video". NewNowNext. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  15. Avery, Dan (September 5, 2013). ""Drag Race" Queens Star In Video For Cher's "Woman's World": WATCH". NewNowNext.com. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  16. Chad Michaels as Cher on WOW Shopping Network. YouTube. July 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  17. Chad Michaels - Ring My Bell. YouTube. August 15, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  18. RuPaul Drives... Chad Michaels. YouTube. December 2, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  19. James St. James and Chad Michaels: Transformations. YouTube. August 27, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  20. RuPaul's Drag Race's Chad Michaels - It Gets Better - LogoTV. YouTube. July 25, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  21. Cher Tweets with Chad Michaels - Cher Impersonators. YouTube. November 25, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  22. Raja Drawja - Chad Michaels. YouTube. November 26, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  23. Chad Michaels and Morgan McMichaels – Bestie$ For Ca$h. YouTube. October 3, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  24. EAT IT! with James St. James! Chad Michaels & Friends Taste Crazy Oreo Flavors. YouTube. June 24, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  25. 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.
  26. 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.
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