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How Televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker Changed RuPaul's Life

"She made a conscious decision to focus on the light which is really an elevated place to be."

In a new interview with Next magazine RuPaul discussed a range of topics from his Emmy nomination and Black Lives Matter to televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker Messner and her impact on his life.

"Well, the first I think about is Tammy Faye is the essence of the Pollyanna storyline which is seeing the good in people," Ru told Next. "Tammy Faye appeared in a dream of mine where she told me, 'Ru, focus on people’s innocence rather than their guilt.' Which is absolutely beautiful and I need to be reminded of that because that is what she was about. That’s what she got from her life as a Christian is that we focus on the good in people."

Randall Michelson/WireImage

RuPaul & Tammy Faye Bakker Messner (Photo by Randall Michelson/WireImage)

Ru went onto explain how Messner—like Pollyanna—saw the positive and negative in life, but chose to focus on the good:

"Some people see Pollyanna as being ignorant and being not able to understand the complexities of life. But like Tammy Faye, Pollyanna is an ascended master. She understood the complexities of life. She understood both sides, the dark and the light. But she made a conscious decision to focus on the light which is really an elevated place to be."

"It’s not to say that the dark is good or bad. It’s just that the darkness will bring you pain. If you want pain that’s fine, no judgment. That’s your thing. But if you want joy, if you really want joy – you will focus on the light. You will focus on a person’s innocence and that is what I think of when I think of Tammy Faye."

Messner passed away from cancer in 2007, but Ru and her were friends for years before her death. She was a guest on The RuPaul Show on VH1 back in the '90s, and Ru even narrated the classic documentary about her, The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

Watch the trailer for the doc below and if you haven't seen it, clear some time this week to reacquaint yourself with the woman who changed so many lives, including Mama Ru's:

Catch an all-new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, Thursdays at 8/7c on Logo and VH1.

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