--- title: RuPaul's Drag Race: Meet Bob the Drag Queen description: The reigning champ of RuPaul's Drag Race speaks canonical: https://time.com/4476523/rupauls-drag-race-bob-the-drag-queen/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-13T18:26:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T06:46:43.511Z og:title: Meet Bob the Drag Queen, the Reigning Champ of RuPaul's Drag Race og:description: "Drag Race is giving a real name and a real face to real people." og:url: https://time.com/4476523/rupauls-drag-race-bob-the-drag-queen/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4c2b4b45d61cd703/6988a49b8e0601516e467546/bob-the-drag-queen-rupaul-drag-race.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: Drag Race Season 8 Finale Party og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Meet Bob the Drag Queen, the Reigning Champ of RuPaul's Drag Race twitter:description: "Drag Race is giving a real name and a real face to real people." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4c2b4b45d61cd703/6988a49b8e0601516e467546/bob-the-drag-queen-rupaul-drag-race.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Bob the Drag Queen Knew He Was Going to Win _RuPaul's Drag Race_ the Moment He Was Cast > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=938525f8-6922-4ae9-9342-0455735e2fce&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Creating Art and Blurring Gender Lines with Bob the Drag Queen [Watch (HLS stream): Creating Art and Blurring Gender Lines with Bob the Drag Queen](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/iOXn7Ukg.m3u8) (3:00)  _Published 2016-09-13. Christopher Caldwell, also known as "Bob the Drag Queen," says every gay man should own a pair of high heels. Here's what he has to say about drag and challenging gender roles._  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Sep 13, 2016 6:26 PM UTC  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Sep 13, 2016 6:26 PM UTC Before Bob the Drag Queen became the reigning champion of [_RuPaul’s Drag Race_](http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/03/rupauls-drag-race-contestant-sahara-davenport-dead-at-27/), this drag queen extraordinaire was a stand-up comedian and actor known as Christopher Caldwell. The season eight winner is defined by his unapologetically political and high-energy drag performances, and recently released a single called “[Purse First](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuogbfF6VR8).” His win on _Drag Race_ comes full circle, since the premiere season of the show was what inspired Bob to pursue drag in the first place. Here, he discusses performance and how drag helps create art and [blur gender lines](http://time.com/tag/gender/). ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Everything you put on is a costume. Everything you wear is a facade. When someone gets up and puts on a suit that is what you're presenting to the world to show them who you are, and how you act. That is a drag. Of the Drag Queen, congratulations, you are the winner of this week's challenge. You call your boy drag, your business drag, your executive drag cuz you're showing the world hey look what I'm going to do. Look how you should treat me. Drag is creating art and blurring the gender line. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] When they called me to be on Ru Paul's Drag Race I was like girl I'm gonna win this show. [ INAUDIBLE ] The winner of the [ UNKNOWN ] is, [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Ru Paul the drag queen. [ APPLAUSE ] [ MUSIC ] Drag has always been revolutionary. It says to society, you are not who you think you are. You're actually much more than what you think you are. On some level, I've always known I was gay even before I had vocabulary, I knew I was gay. When you're gay, you don't have to be afraid of femininity. Gay men revere femininity so much and revere womanhood so much. In fact, it's quite acceptable and expected and encouraged to embrace your femininity. I think every gay man needs to own a pair of high heels. [ MUSIC ] I don't think there's a show that TV that has highlighted more gay men and trans people ever. In the history of TV. [ MUSIC ] Drag Race is giving a real name and a real face to real people, who don't seem real. Some times we do some of those shows and stuff that you see on TV [ MUSIC ] And that's okay. [ MUSIC ] [ LAUGH ] Work! [ LAUGH ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Mama! [ MUSIC ] [ APPLAUSE ] For those of you who do not know me, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Wayne Brady. [ LAUGH ] Drag really opened up a lot to me, and taught me a lot about the world. Gender really is not as important as we all think it is I'm sure that drag races help some mother, somewhere, understand her son, or her daughter that she thought was her son. And I wanna be a part of that amazing legacy. And I am, girl. 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