RuPaul opened up about his path to sobriety during an emotional moment with a "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" contestant. During Friday's episode, he admitted he "wouldn't be here" had he not made the decision to stop using drugs and alcohol in 1999.
The "Drag Race" host listened to contestant Jujubee share his experience of having to let go of unhealthy relationships from his past and replacing them with new friends from his support group meetings.
"I broke up with my fiancé of 12 years and also made a conscious decision to stop using drugs and drinking. That has been very impactful for me as a human being and as a drag queen," Jujubee told RuPaul.
The 59-year-old drag icon, who contestants also call "Mother," encouraged Jujubee and shared what he has learned from his experience getting sober.
"You stick with those friends in those places you and I both know about," RuPaul said of his chosen family. "Because I think what you're going to find is they will help you, because I wouldn't be here today without those friends. I wouldn't be here."
"It's a real, real gift," RuPaul said of sobriety. "You can honor that gift by shining, sewing and cooking."
Jujubee, who was abandoned by his mother at age 15, said he feels he's heading in the right direction.
"I'm not completely found, but I'm not as lost as I used to be," he told RuPaul, who remarked that line sounds "like a gospel song I want to hear!"
After the special moment of bonding, Jujubee continued working on a sewing project for the Charles Family Backyard Ball and promised RuPaul he would also bring potato salad "full of raisins and MSG!"
Later, in an on camera interview with producers, Jujubee shared how much he "needed this meeting" with his idol.
"I'm so happy there's somebody here I can relate to with this, who just so happens to be the person I look up to the most," he said.
The emotional moment also resonated with fans on Twitter.
"This show is a wonderful, relatable, and beautiful. And who else loves Mama’s advice?!" said one Twitter user.
Another person added that "a lot of us can relate."
"So proud of Juju and choosing whats best for her life," they wrote on Twitter.
Over the years, RuPaul has been open and honest about his experience with drugs and alcohol. To the New York Times in 2014, he revealed he started smoking marijuana as early as 11 years old.
"If you wanna lead a life on this planet there’s an evolution a story line, somethings get left behind," he said back in 2013. "It’s like a rocket and a fuselage. To launch a rocket into space you need to use the fuselage but at some point you leave Earth’s atmosphere and you don’t need that fuselage anymore and you realize it's important to break it off, if you want to move further.
"My point is you have to be present enough to understand when it’s time to give certain things up, but you also need tools to know how to deal with being present... Sometimes you get really bored, sometimes you have a lot of pain, a lot of loneliness, but you need the tools to deal with that otherwise you’re gonna be in a lot of pain."