Charlie Hides

Charlie Hides
Born Charlie Hides
(1964-07-12) July 12, 1964
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Residence London, England
Nationality American
Citizenship
Alma mater Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Occupation
Known for YouTube
RuPaul's Drag Race
Spouse(s) James Hides (m. 2004)
Website charliehidestv.com
YouTube information
Channel CharlieHidesTV
Years active 2011–present
Genre Comedy
Subscribers 100,000+
(May 2017)
Total views 20+ million
(May 2017)
Associated acts Courtney Act
Bianca Del Rio

Charlie Hides (born July 12, 1964) is an American-born drag queen, impersonator, actor and comedian. Hides is best known for his YouTube channel, and his participation in the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Following live performances in London clubs, Hides started a YouTube channel in March 2011. He has produced hundreds of videos satirizing popular culture, and impersonating celebrities such as Cher, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Lana Del Rey.[1][2][3]

Personal life

Hides was born in Boston, Massachusetts on July 12, 1964. He attended the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, the same college where fellow RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Katya Zamolodchikova would later study. Hides is openly gay, and in 2004 married his partner James Hides in the town of Provincetown, Massachusetts. He currently lives in London and has multiple citizenship, being a citizen of the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland.[4][5]

Career

Hides started a YouTube channel after high-definition video uploading became available on the website. Following the creation of his channel, he uploaded some of the videos that he used in live performances and comedy routines. Since Hides created the Charlie Hides TV YouTube channel in March 2011, he has uploaded over 200 videos. These include series such as Madonna/Lady Gaga Nightmares and Shit ____ Says.

In 2013, Hides uploaded a sketch that starred Australian singer and actress Kylie Minogue. He impersonated Cher during a telephone call with Minogue. In 2015, Hides starred on the TV show Big Brother's Bit on the Side, where he impersonated celebrities whilst commenting on Celebrity Big Brother contestants. Hides also had a cameo role in the film Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, as a drag performer. In 2014, The Charlie Hides Show aired on London Live as a pilot show, incorporating elements from his live performances and YouTube channel.[6][7][8][9]

Hides has occasionally drawn the attention of some of the acts that he impersonates. In a 2013 interview with the Herald Sun, Cher said that Hides was her "favourite Cher impersonator". When Lady Gaga was in London, she sent flowers to Hides, alongside a note. Hides has also stated that Liza Minnelli, Elton John and Kris Jenner have been "very kind".[10][11]

RuPaul's Drag Race

On February 2, 2017, Logo TV announced that Hides will participate as a contestant in the ninth season of American reality competition RuPaul's Drag Race. As of 2017, Hides is the oldest contestant to participate on Drag Race. The season premiered on March 24, 2017 on VH1.[12] In an interview with BBC News Newsbeat, Hides said:

“ The label drag queen is not just a cookie cutter, one-size fits all type of label. There's pageant girls, there's comics, there's celebrity impersonators. There's every different type of queen under the sun. That's one of the things that Drag Race has definitely shown over the course of nine seasons. That there's so many different ways to express yourself using this art form.

You'd think it's just gay men, but it's got a huge following of women who are watching for the fashion. They're watching for the colourful sense of humour and then they're identifying with us. The contestants are human beings and not just seen as some dancing clowns or as freaks. We are definitely in need of laughter, sunshine, brightness and colour. Drag queens are defiant. We are the counter culture, the opposition party. We are everything that the moral majority and small-minded bigots fear.[13]

 ”

On the fourth episode of the show, entitled "Good Morning Bitches", Hides was eliminated from the competition. He was placed in the bottom two by the judges, and therefore had to participate in a "Lip-Sync for Your Life" to Britney Spears' "I Wanna Go" against fellow contestant Trinity Taylor. Hides commented on the lip-sync, saying that the self-described "disaster" was a result of having a fractured rib, due to a cheerleading challenge several episodes prior. In the episode's challenge, Hides was critiqued for his performance in the talk show segment of the episode. The morning after his elimination, Hides uploaded a music video for his new single, "The Dame".[14][15][16]

Controversy

In December 2015, Hides was accused of using blackface and ethnic stereotypes to represent one of his characters, Laquisha Jonz. An activist, Chardine Taylor-Stone, launched a petition on the website Change.org, calling for the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, and other venues, to cancel Hides' performances. Taylor-Stone claimed that the character was a "a racist act based on misogynist stereotypes of black working class women, it is outdated, offensive, shameful and has no place in the LGBT Community". As a result, Hides stated that he will no longer use the character in his performances.[17][18]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2014 The Charlie Hides Show Herself Pilot show on London Live [9]
2015 Big Brother's Bit on the Side Various Multiple impersonation sketches [7]
2017 RuPaul's Drag Race Herself (contestant) Season nine contestant [19]
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked Spin-off series on WOWPresents [20]

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2016 Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie Drag queen Cameo role [8]

Discography and parodies

Title Year
"The Edge of Glory" 2011
"MILF Gone Wild" 2012
"Boyfriend"
"Turn Up the Radio"
"Woman's World" 2013
"Roar"/"Wrecking Ball"
"Applause"
"Judas"
"Venus"
"Adore You" 2014
"Booty"
"All About That Bass"
"Welcome to New York"
"Living for Love" 2015
"You Fucked a Bad Gay"
"Don't Call Us" 2017
"The Dame"

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2014 Royal Television Society Awards Best Low Budget Programme Won [21]
2016 Boyz Awards Best Cabaret Act Won [22]

References

  1. ↑ Domingo, Reg (March 4, 2014). "The Many Faces of Youtube Parody Star Charlie Hides". Gay News Network. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  2. ↑ Jankuloska, Maggie (March 13, 2013). "From Boy to Diva: An Interview with Charlie Hides". HelloGiggles. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  3. ↑ Bryant, Christopher (February 1, 2012). "An Interview with Charlie Hides". Polari. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  4. ↑ "10 Things About Me". YouTube. February 25, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  5. ↑ Watts, Laurence (January 30, 2013). "Charlie Hides on becoming a YouTube drag sensation". Pink News. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  6. ↑ Hernandez, Greg (July 30, 2013). "He may not really be Cher, but Charlie Hides got the real Kylie Minogue to be in new video". Gay Star News. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Tonight on Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Stateside". Channel 5. September 19, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  8. 1 2 Stroude, Will (November 16, 2015). "Ab Fab Movie Shoots Scenes at Royal Vauxhall Tavern With Over 90 Drag Queens". Attitude. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  9. 1 2 "The Charlie Hides Show". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  10. ↑ Alexander, David (February 13, 2015). "Charlie Hides Takes on Australia (but Not Kylie Minogue, He’s Too Tall)". Star Observer. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  11. ↑ Adams, Cameron (October 2, 2013). "19 things Cher wants to share". Herald Sun. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  12. ↑ Carey-Mahoney, Ryan (February 2, 2017). "Your guide to the new queens vying for the ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ crown". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Why RuPaul's Drag Race is more than just a TV show". Newsbeat. BBC News. March 24, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  14. ↑ Guerra, Joey (April 14, 2017). "Charlie Hides talks cracked ribs and that disastrous 'Drag Race' lip sync". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  15. ↑ Reynolds, Daniel (April 15, 2017). "Last Words With Drag Race's Charlie Hides". The Advocate. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Good Morning Bitches". RuPaul's Drag Race. Season 9. April 14, 2017. VH1.
  17. ↑ Patrick McCormick, Joseph (December 14, 2015). "Cabaret act accused of ‘blackface’ retires from performing at London venue". Pink News. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  18. ↑ Lyell, Carrie (December 14, 2015). "Drag Act Accused of Racism Will No Longer Perform at London’s RVT". Diva. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  19. ↑ Nolfi, Joey (February 2, 2017). "TV Logo reveals RuPaul's Drag Race season 9 cast". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  20. ↑ Voss, Brandon (March 25, 2017). ""RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked" Season 9, Episode 1: "Oh. My. Gaga."". NewNowNext. Logo TV. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  21. ↑ Brinnand, Alex (November 18, 2014). "Charlie Hides Wins TV Award". TenEighty. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  22. ↑ Duke, Simon (April 6, 2016). "UK drag royalty Charlie Hides stepping into the Shade in Newcastle". Chronicle Live. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
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