RuPaul had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at the Super Bowl
RuPaul has a tiny cameo in a Super Bowl ad
RuPaul had a tiny cameo during a Super Bowl 2021 ad to advertise Drag Race‘s expected arrival on a new streaming service.
The reality host made an awkward background appearance in the advert for Paramount Plus on Sunday, in an ad that featured the stars of hit shows literally getting together on the mountain from the company’s logo.
Star Trek icon Patrick Stewart hosts a cocktail party on the mountain as cartoon characters Dora the Explorer, Spongebob Squarepants and James Corden look on, accompanied by real-life celebrities Stephen Colbert, The Good Fight star Christine Baranski and Snooki from Jersey Shore.
RuPaul made an all-too-brief appearance in full drag alongside Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Leonardo, though the star has no lines at all in the ad.
RuPaul seemed more wooden than usual in Paramount Plus ad
One Twitter user joked: “RuPaul, James Corden, Jeff Probst, and Queen Latifah carpooling to Paramount Mountain in deafening silence. James Corden clearing his throat to break the awkwardness and getting daggers from the other three.”
Others noted that RuPaul seemed rather static and oddly lit – questioning whether Paramount had spliced in pre-recorded footage of the drag queen, who maintains a packed globe-trotting schedule for Drag Race, All Stars, Drag Race UK and Drag Race Down Under.
rupaul standing in the background of that paramount commercial like pic.twitter.com/dnDqPxotkd
— ᶜ laney ⁷ (@YOONGILFTV) February 8, 2021
The ad suggests that the Drag Race franchise will make the leap to Paramount Plus when the streaming service launches in the US, taking over from the current effort CBS All Access.
It’s already been confirmed that the reality show is heading to the platform when it launches in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, with a release promising “loads of quality series like Yellowstone, On Becoming a God in Central Florida, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, The Hills, RuPaul’s Drag Race and all seasons of South Park“.
Super Bowl ads broke barriers for LGBT+ inclusion
There were several other notably LGBT+ inclusive ads during the Super Bowl, with Lil Nas X teasing his upcoming track “Call Me By Your Name” in a fabulously queer ad for Logitech.
Meanwhile, Schitt’s Creek creator Dan Levy took an M&M hostage during his appearance in an ad for the brand.
RuPaul has a tiny cameo in the Paramount Plus Super Bowl ad
“During one of the biggest nights in sports and media, global brands like M&M’s, Michelob ULTRA, Logitech, and Paramount raised the bar for inclusion by featuring LGBTQ icons in their ads after last year’s record number of inclusive ads,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.
“More brands should now step up year round, as including LGBTQ people in ads is good for business and good for the world.
“GLAAD is working to grow the quality and the quantity of LGBTQ people in advertising, as it can have a profound impact on LGBTQ visibility and acceptance, especially during cultural events like the Super Bowl.”
