Randy Rainbow
Randy Stewart Rainbow (born July 6, 1981) is an American comedian and singer, best known for spoof interviews that blend political satire and musical parodies from a liberal perspective.[1][2]
Randy Rainbow | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 6, 1981 Huntington, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian, singer, YouTuber |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Known for | Political satire, parody music |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Website | randyrainbow |
Early life
Randy Rainbow was born to a Jewish family in Huntington, New York. Rainbow is his real last name. He grew up in Commack, New York. When he was 10 years old, his father, Gerry Rainbow (né Ribner),[3][4][5] a musician and talent booker,[6] moved the family to Plantation, Florida. Rainbow credits his grandmother as his greatest comedic influence. In a 2017 interview with The New York Times, he recalled "It was really my grandmother who was the biggest influence because she'd talk back to the celebrities and politicians on TV. She was a combination of Joan Rivers, Elaine Stritch, Betty White, and Bea Arthur rolled into one." After dropping out of community college in his early 20s, Rainbow moved back to New York to pursue a theatrical career. It was then he began blogging and making comedic videos.[1]
Career
Blog
Rainbow created his blog, The Randy Rainbow Bloggity BLAHg-BLAHg, to document his theatrical experiences and "kvetch about my day-to-day as a single homo in the city."[7][8]
Celebrity videos
In his early work, Rainbow stages fake phone conversations with famous people by editing real audio clips of those celebrities. He posted his breakout video, "Randy Rainbow is Dating Mel Gibson" in 2010. It received more than 60,000 views in one week and has since surpassed 275,000 views. Subsequent videos include "Randy Rainbow Calls Lindsay Lohan", "Randy Rainbow Calls Dr. Laura", "The Morning After Chelsea's Wedding", "Randy Rainbow Gets a Job (from Rachel Zoe?)", "Randy Rainbow Kicks It with Kanye West", and "Randy Rainbow Spends Christmas with Mel Gibson". Michael Urie appeared as himself in "Randy Rainbow Getting Married?" Tituss Burgess appeared as himself in "Randy Rainbow Stars in a Show!" Brent Corrigan appeared as himself in "Randy Rainbow Makes a Sex Tape (w/Mel Gibson)". Rainbow's cat Mushi has also appeared in some of his videos.[9]
Rainbow's videos have been featured on a number of blogs. Popular LGBT blogs Towleroad and Queerty have reposted many of his videos since "Randy Rainbow is Dating Mel Gibson".[10][11] His Lohan clip was featured by Perez Hilton.[12] Rainbow made a guest appearance in Tituss and the Tightass Band, a 2010 benefit concert for The Trevor Project at New World Stages.[13] He also made a guest appearance in the third annual Living for Today benefit concert at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.[14] Rainbow appeared on the cover of Out Front Colorado.[15]
Political videos
Rainbow gained a larger audience and shifted focus during the 2016 American presidential campaign, with a series of spoof interviews and musical parodies skewering the election process and the candidates, especially Donald Trump, who became Rainbow's primary subject following his nomination by the Republican party and subsequent election. Among the musical parodies he has done about politics are:[16]
| Title of parody | Release date | Original song | Original show, movie, or artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Ya Got Trump Trouble!" | Jul 26, 2016 | "(Ya Got) Trouble" | The Music Man |
| "Extra Braggadocious" | Sep 26, 2016 | "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" | Mary Poppins |
| "The Nasty Woman" | October 24, 2016 | "The Lonely Goatherd" | The Sound of Music |
| "Trump-Pence, Trump-Pence" | November 7, 2016 | "Feed The Birds" | Mary Poppins |
| "Donald Trump, Grow Up!" | November 23, 2016 | You'll Be Back | Hamilton |
| "Tweets, Tweets, And Nothing But Tweets" | January 12, 2017 | "Prologue: Into the Woods" (Witch's rap: Greens,Greens) | Into the Woods |
| "Alternative Facts" | January 24, 2017 | "Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats" | Cats |
| "Fact Checker, Fact Checker" | February 6, 2017 | "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" | Fiddler on the Roof |
| "You're Making Things Up Again, Donald" | February 22, 2017 | "Making Things Up Again" | The Book of Mormon |
| "Putin and the Ritz" | March 7, 2017 | "Puttin' On the Ritz" | Puttin' On the Ritz |
| "Microwaves (Are Watching You!)" | March 16, 2017 | "Private Eyes" | Hall & Oates |
| "Unpopular" | April 29, 2017 | "Popular" | Wicked |
| "The Russian Connection" | May 15, 2017 | "Rainbow Connection" | The Muppet Movie |
| "The Covfefe Broadway Medley" | June 2, 2017 | Various | |
| "Russia Ties" | June 17, 2017 | "Summer Nights" | Grease |
| "Before He Tweets" | July 5, 2017 | Before He Cheats | Carrie Underwood |
| "The Room Where It Happens" | July 21, 2017 | The Room Where It Happens | Hamilton |
| "The Sycophant Italiano" | August 1, 2017 | "Cinema Italiano" | Nine |
| "Yes! We Have No Steve Bannon" | August 22, 2017 | "Yes! We Have No Bananas" | Billy Jones |
| "DACA Shame" | September 7, 2017 | "Danke Schoen" | Wayne Newton |
| "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Korea?" | September 25, 2017 | "Maria"; "Rocket Man" | The Sound of Music; Elton John |
| "Desperate Cheeto" | October 11, 2017 | "Despacito" | Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee |
| "Sweet Indictment" | November 1, 2017 | "Sweet Transvestite" | The Rocky Horror Picture Show |
| "Those Were the Good Old Days" | November 14, 2017 | "Those Were the Good Old Days" | Damn Yankees |
| "She Was 16 Going on 17 (Roy Moore Was 32)" | December 11, 2017 | "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" | The Sound of Music |
| "Buttons!" | January 9, 2018 | "The Patty Duke Show Theme Song" | The Patty Duke Show |
| "All About His Base" | January 29, 2018 | "All About That Bass" | Meghan Trainor |
| "Stand By Your Man (Donald Trump)" | February 14, 2018 | "Stand by Your Man" | Tammy Wynette |
| "KIDS!" | March 5, 2018 | "Kids" | Bye Bye Birdie |
| "You Can't Stop His Tweets" | April 9, 2018 | "You Can't Stop the Beat" | Hairspray |
| "Rudy and The Beast" | May 7, 2018 | "Beauty and the Beast" | Beauty and the Beast |
| "Commander of Cheese!" | June 9, 2018 | "It Sucks to Be Me" | Avenue Q |
| "WTF, You Guys!?" | June 22, 2018 | "Omigod You Guys" | Legally Blonde (musical) |
| "A Very Stable Genius" | July 16, 2018 | "Major-General's Song" | The Pirates of Penzance |
| "If You Ever Got Impeached" | August 27, 2018 | "If I Only Had a Brain" | The Wizard of Oz |
| "Omarosa" | September 4, 2018 | "Oklahoma!" | Oklahoma! |
| "Kavanaugh" | September 24, 2018 | Camelot | Camelot |
| "Just Be Best" | October 15, 2018 | "Be Our Guest" | Beauty and the Beast |
| "Voting!" | November 6, 2018 | "What is this Feeling?" | Wicked |
| "Trump's Favorite Things" | December 5, 2018 | "My Favorite Things" | The Sound of Music |
| "There Is Nothin' Like a Wall" | January 14, 2019 | "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" | South Pacific |
| "The Donald Trump Cell Block Tango (Part 1)" | January 28, 2019 | "Cell Block Tango" | Chicago |
| "Border Lies" | February 20, 2019 | "Borderline" | Madonna |
| "He's in Love (And We're all Gonna Die)" | March 7, 2019 | "A Wonderful Guy" | South Pacific |
| "The Mueller Blues" | March 29, 2019 | "The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues" | Follies |
| "Cruella DeVos" | April 5, 2019 | "Cruella de vil" | 101 Dalmatians |
| "Barr!" | April 29, 2019 | "Belle" | Beauty and the Beast |
| "Just Impeach Him" | May 28, 2019 | "Breathin" | Ariana Grande |
| "Suckers" | July 22, 2019 | "Sucker" | The Jonas Brothers |
| "Cheeto Christ Stupid-Czar" | August 29, 2019 | "Superstar" | Jesus Christ Superstar |
| "GIULIANI! (Here He Goes Again)" | October 17, 2019 | "Mamma Mia" | ABBA |
| "He's Just a GURL Who'll QUID PRO QUO!" | November 22, 2019 | "I Cain't Say No" | Oklahoma! |
| "That Don!" | January 20, 2020 | "Gaston" | Beauty and the Beast |
| "No Rules For Donald" | February 18, 2020 | "New Rules" | Dua Lipa |
| "Any Dem Will Do" | March 3, 2020 | "Any Dream Will Do" | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat |
| "The Coronavirus Lament" | March 14, 2020 | "Adelaide's Lament" | Guys and Dolls |
| "Social Distance" | March 22, 2020 | "Go the Distance" | Hercules |
| "Andy" | April 6, 2020 | "Sandy" | Grease |
| "A Spoonful of Clorox" | April 25, 2020 | "A Spoonful of Sugar" | Mary Poppins |
| "Distraction" | May 19, 2020 | "Tradition" | Fiddler on the Roof |
| "The Bunker Boy" | June 7, 2020 | "The Jitterbug" | The Wizard of Oz |
| "Cover Your Freakin' Face" | June 9, 2020 | "Put On a Happy Face" | Bye Bye Birdie |
| "Poor Deplorable Troll" | July 6, 2020 | "Poor Unfortunate Souls" | The Little Mermaid |
| "Gee, Anthony Fauci" | July 22, 2020 | "Gee, Officer Krupke" | West Side Story |
| "Kamala!" | August 17, 2020 | "Camelot" (reprised) | Camelot |
| "I Won't Vote Trump" | September 13, 2020 | "I Won't Grow Up" | Peter Pan |
| "If Donald Got Fired" (featuring Patti LuPone) | October 7, 2020 | "If Momma Was Married" | Gypsy |
| "How Will You Vote?" | October 30, 2020 | "That's How You Know" | Enchanted |
| "Don't Tell Donald He's NOT RE-ELECTED TODAY!" | November 17, 2020 | "Getting Married Today" | Company |
| "Rudolph the Leaky Lawyer" | December 15, 2020 | "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" | Gene Autry |
| "Sedition!" | January 8, 2021 | Tradition (repeated by popular request) | Fiddler on the Roof |
| "Seasons of Trump" | January 19, 2021 | "Seasons of Love" | Rent |
| "Marjorie Taylor Greene" | February 3, 2021 | "Evergreen" | A Star Is Born |
| "Mr. Biden, Bring My Vaccine" | March 9, 2021 | "Mr. Sandman" | The Chordettes |
| "Ted and Lindsey" | April 5, 2021 | "Kansas City" | Oklahoma! |
| "Clang, Clang, Clang Went Josh Hawley" | May 10, 2021 | "The Trolley Song" | Meet Me in St. Louis |
| "The Tango: Vaccine" | February 7, 2022 | "The Tango Maureen" | Rent |
| "Gurl, You're a Karen" | March 14, 2022 | "Dentist!" | Little Shop of Horrors |
| "Gay!" | April 4, 2022 | "Shy" | Once Upon a Mattress |
| "Thoughts and Prayers" | August 4, 2022 | "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three" | A Chorus Line |
| "Lock Him Up Yesterday" | August 18, 2022 | "Yesterday" | The Beatles |
| "Speaker of the House" | January 23, 2023 | "Master of the House" | Les Misérables |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | GOP Dropout | Randy Rainbow | 6 episodes |
| 2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Special Guest | Episode: "Breastworld" |
| 2020 | Better Things | Andrew | Episode: "New Orleans" |
| 2020 | Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration | Performer (song: "By the Sea") | Streaming television special |
Musical career
Rainbow has released several recordings on Broadway Records. He released three singles in August 2012: an original jingle for Chick-fil-A written while he was employed there,[17] a cover of "An Old-Fashioned Wedding," and a parody of "Born This Way" called "Born This Gay."
He released the holiday EP Hey Gurl, It's Christmas! on November 8, 2019, featuring a studio version of "Trump's Favorite Things"; the title track is an original song.[18]
Following the launch of his Pink Glasses Tour,[19] Rainbow released his debut studio album A Little Brains, A Little Talent on October 29, 2021.[20] The album includes several studio versions of his YouTube parodies, plus the two original songs "Pink Glasses," and "Randy Rainbow For President!" both co-written by Rainbow.[21] The album also features a studio version of "The Jitterbug," a scrapped song from The Wizard of Oz, and two bonus tracks: "If Donald Got Fired" (featuring Patti LuPone) and "Mr. Biden (Bring My Vaccine)."
Awards and nominations
Rainbow was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for “A Little Brains, A Little Talent” in 2022. Rainbow was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series in 2019[22] and 2020.[23]
After Primetime Emmy Award categories were combined starting in 2021 to form the Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series, The Randy Rainbow Show was nominated in 2021[24] and again in 2022.[25]
The album "A Little Brains, A Little Talent" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.[26]
Personal life
Rainbow is Jewish and openly gay.[27] He was born on Long Island, lived in Queens for 17 years, attended community college in Plantation, Florida, and since July 2019 has resided in Manhattan.[28][29]
On April 19, 2022, Rainbow published a memoir, "Playing With Myself", which tells the story of his personal life and rise to internet fame.[30]
Controversy
In mid-August 2020, critics of Randy Rainbow circulated several dozen of his tweets, all but a few published between 2010 and 2012, featuring jokes widely described as racist and transphobic.[31] Rainbow apologized on August 20, 2020, in an interview with The Advocate.[32]
References
- ^ a b Morris, Bob (June 23, 2017). "YouTube Star Randy Rainbow Brings Sass to His Trump Bashing". The New York Times. from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ "Randy Rainbow Has Built A Viral-Video Empire From His Queens Apartment". www.wbur.org. from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ "Gerald (Gerry) Rainbow, Class of 1953 - Monroe High School - Classmates". Classmates.com. from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ "Obituaries - Levitt Weinstein Memorial Chapels & Cemeteries". www.levitt-weinstein.com. from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ "Gerald Ribner". Obituaries. tributes.com. from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ "In an Ugly Election Year, Randy Rainbow Uses Musical Parody to Bring on the Laughs". from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ Voss, Brandon (July 26, 2010). "Mel Gibsons Rainbow Connection". Advocate.com. from the original on December 14, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ "RandyRainbow.com". Therandyrainbowblahg.blogspot.com. March 20, 2013. from the original on February 7, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ "Randy Rainbow". YouTube. from the original on May 23, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ Mandell, Sean (July 20, 2016). "Randy Rainbow Spells It Out: 'We Got Trump Trouble, America'". Towleroad. from the original on March 16, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ "Randy Rainbow News and Photos". Queerty. from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ "ICYMI: Will & Grace Cast Sparked Even More Reunion Rumors With This Broadway-Style Hillary Clinton Support Song!". Perez Hilton. November 1, 2016. from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam (October 30, 2010). "Tituss Burgess Performs Trevor Project Benefit Concert Oct. 30". Playbill. from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam (October 22, 2010). "Jill Paice and Kate Jennings Grant Added to Living for Today Concert". Playbill. from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ Compton, Julie (October 13, 2016). "Comedian Randy Rainbow brings humor to tense election year". NBC News. from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ "Randy Rainbow Videos". YouTube. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
- ^ "WATCH Randy Rainbow Serves Chick fil A to Sarah Palin". www.advocate.com. August 2, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- ^ "Randy Rainbow — Recordings". Randy Rainbow. from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ "@RandyRainbow". Twitter. June 7, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ "RANDY RAINBOW'S 'A LITTLE BRAINS, A LITTLE TALENT'". Life Entertainment. October 22, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
- ^ "Randy Rainbow: A Little Brains, A Little Talent CD 2021". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
- ^ "Emmys 2019: List of Nominations". Variety. July 16, 2019. from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ^ "72nd Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". Emmys.com. Emmy's. from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ^ Lieber, Sarah Jae (July 13, 2021). "HAMILTON, Cynthia Erivo, Bernadette Peters & More Earn 2021 Emmy Nominations - See the Full List!". Broadway World. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ "Outstanding Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series Nominees / Winners 2022". from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
- ^ "Grammy Awards (2023)". IMDb. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
- ^ "Randy Rainbow Is the Gay Jewish Crooner of the Christmas Season". www.advocate.com. December 13, 2019. from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ mike (July 15, 2019). "Randy Rainbow Moves To Upper West Side". I Love The Upper West Side. from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Robinson, AuthorPam (July 17, 2019). "Huntington Native Randy Rainbow Nominated for Emmy". HuntingtonNow.com. from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Rainbow, Randy (2022). Playing with myself (First ed.). New York. ISBN 978-1-250-27625-4. OCLC 1268205789.
- ^ Bollinger, Alex (August 19, 2020). "Randy Rainbow's racist & transphobic tweets resurface. There are dozens". LGBTQNation. from the original on August 25, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
- ^ Artavia, David (August 20, 2020). "Randy Rainbow on Emmy Nom and Resurfaced Racist, Transphobic Tweets". from the original on August 25, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.