This month, The Price is Right is getting political.
Back in December, CBS aired two ratings-rocking TPIR specials.
As recalled by Deadline:
David Boreanaz, Max Thieriot, Neil Brown Jr., AJ Buckley, Toni Trucks, Justin Melnick and Dita the dog from the CBS action drama SEAL Team appeared on the special and became the most-watched entertainment program of its night wile Seth Rogen was chosen to “come on down” and his episode became the top broadcast of the night in viewers and all key demos.
Not too shabby. And if there’s one thing we know about Hollywood, it’s that if something makes money, there’s gonna be more of it. And then more. And also, more.
Hence, in January, the network that gave us Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, Happy Days, and I Love Lucy announced that Spring would see — count ’em — one, two, three new Price is Right extravaganzas.
From ViacomCBS at the time:
CBS’ top-rated daytime game show The Price is Right hosted by Drew Carey will return to primetime with three new celebrity-themed The Price is Right specials… Building on the momentum of December’s two holiday primetime specials…the spring specials will also feature celebrities being called to “come on down” to the iconic stage to play for charity.
And this month, drag queen/businessman/Emmy winner RuPaul will spin that glittery wheel in order to raise money for Planned Parenthood.
The abortion provider’s close to Ru’s heart — his mom used to work there.
In 2017, he told Marie Claire all about it:
“Women in our culture have been so marginalized and so really beaten down. We live in a masculine-dominated culture. How dare some man tell a woman what to do with her body. That is outrageous! Outrageous. As a human, that is a big issue for me that really strikes a chord. My mother, she had never really had a job before. Planned Parenthood represented so much freedom for us. For me to watch her blossom into a working woman and self-sufficient after this sort of system of being married to a man and staying home, after that façade fell apart, she built herself back up. In my heart, it represents so much strength, and I think it’s a very important organization.”
It seems Ru’s at the right place at the right time for a white-hot career — drag’s felt the heat of an intensifying spotlight these last few years — as noted by The Daily Wire, Super Bowl LIV featured a Sabra Dipping Company ad featuring two performers from RuPaul’s Drag Race.
In January, Sabra’s chief marketing officer explained the move to Ad Week:
“We’re bringing a diverse group of personalities to the table and demonstrating just how incredibly versatile, relevant and relatable (Middle Eastern food) hummus is today. We think we’ve got something for everyone.”
Having tipped its hat to the Navy Seals at the end of last year, perhaps The Price is Right is thinking they’ve got something for everyone, too — and on May 11th, one of those will be a shot at raising cash for the nation’s biggest abortion clinic.
On May 11th, tune into The Price is Left. I mean, Right.
-ALEX
See 3 more pieces from me:
The Future Is Now: Congress Gets Its First Purple-Haired Senator
‘Vanity Fair’ Declined to Run Reade Story but Went to Kavanaugh’s High School to Dig up Dirt
It’s Gonna Be Wild: Nicolas Cage Will Star as Joe Exotic in a ‘Tiger King’ Scripted Series
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