Liza Minnelli made a rare public appearance during the Season 17 finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
The legendary actor and singer received the Giving Us Lifetime Achievement Award on the April 18 episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” for her “dazzling contributions to entertainment and sharing her irrepressible joy.”
Minnelli, 79, was met with a roaring applause from the studio audience when she appeared on stage during the episode, donning a sequined monochromatic black ensemble.
She was poised on a podium center stage, seated in an opulent throne with one of her legs dangled over the arm of the chair.
Dancers performed in front to her song “Ring Them Bells,” with Minnelli snapping her fingers along to the music as she took in the celebration. From the crowd, several of the contestants, as well as judges RuPaul, Michelle Visage and Carson Kressley, shook their bells, paying homage to Minnelli.
After the dancers’ performance, RuPaul joined Minnelli on stage to talk to the singer about her outfit (Halston and Elsa Peretti, “of course,” she said).
The icon showed off her wit during the interview, revealing that she had once gotten five costumes for Christmas. When asked by RuPaul if she still had them, she quipped, “Somewhere.”
RuPaul also prompted Minnelli to reflect on her childhood, including her memories of watching dancers rehearse at MGM.
“Well, you know, everybody would rush to see whatever my mother was doing, and my father especially, because he was making people do magic,” Minnelli explained, referring to her late mother and father, Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli. “Oh, he was the best.”
Minnelli’s half-brother, Joey Luft, was also in the studio audience to support his sister at the show.
RuPaul later took a moment to share his love — and the nation’s — for Minnelli, earning a sincere response from the singer.
“Thank you. I don’t what else to say except if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be me,” Minnelli said. “You made me.”
RuPaul shared a clever response, adding, “Well, you made us, actually.”
Minnelli’s appearance on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” was rare, with the performer not often seen in public in recent years.
She previously presented the award for best picture at the Academy Awards in March 2022 alongside Lady Gaga, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.
During an October 2024 conversation with Michael Feinstein for Interview Magazine, she gave fans an inside look at her life today, explaining that she was “writing, creating, and working” with Christopher Young, whom she described as a “pure genius.”
“I’m also recording again and producing with you, Michael, and Sam Haskell,” she said. “Our baby business just keeps growing, and at this age that’s a helluva good time.”
Minnelli also shared some health advice, adding “You didn’t ask, but I have one piece of advice: Take care of your body ’cause you might live longer than you expect to.
“I just keep replacing parts and moving forward,” she said. “You just deal with it and be happy, and as Dick Van Dyke sang and taught to me, ‘Put on a Happy Face.’”
