>> jimmy: ebon moss-bachrach, everybody. thank you to selena gomez. apologies to matt damon. we ran out of time for him. "nightline" is next thank you for watching. have a great weekend. we'll see you on monday. good night. this is "nightline." >> tonight, the one and only rupaul. ♪ ♪ wet your lips and make love to the camera ♪ >> supermodel of the world. the lgbtq trailblazer. >> hello, hello, hello. >> rupaul's drag race breaking

down barriers, opening up in a rare interview about life before becoming an inspiration. >> did a young rupaul imagine the level of stardom you have achieved? >> no, not to this level. >> we're revealing the pain like never before, and how he pushed through. plus, who did i marry? >> i called it the united nations of red flags. >> known as reesam allegations of an elaborate web of live. >> every "i love you" was a lie. every "i got you" was a lie. >> her 50-part series catching more than 400 million views, with almost everyone weighing in. >> millions of people liking and following. millions of people supporting her. >> and reesa's warning to others. and retiring. a sobbing kelce brother breaks the news. >> "nightline" will be right back. your brain health?t mary, janet, hey!!

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>> what is your slogan right now? rupaul is? >> i think it still is rupaul is everything. absolutely. >> now let the music play. ♪ >> rupaul charles is here to slay. >> hello, hello, hello! >> the host of the hit series "rupaul's drag race." >> i can't wait to see how this turns out. >> the beloved lgbtq+ icon, pushing boundaries for decades. fans saying because of rupaul, they feel more accepted and comfortable in their own skin. ♪ all while famous drag queen in the world. ♪ ♪ to be loved again ♪ >> and the most awarded black artist in emmy's history. >> we have released into the wild hundreds of drag queens. >> did a young rupaul imagine the level of stardom you have achieved?

>> no, not to this level. >> now he is sharing his story like never before. in his new memoir, "the house of hidden means." >> "the house of hidden means" really uncovers your origin story. >> uh-huh. >> and layers of your life that we've never seen before. so why did you decide that now was a time to kind of peel back the curtain? >> i was able to forge a path for myself with so much love and support. and i wanted to tell that story. i wanted to let young people know that there is a way to navigate these difficult, difficult waters. >> he is opening up about the heartbreak in his childhood, overcoming substance abuse, and becoming a drag queen television titan. >> what if i made it so fun, so likable, so family friendly that you could show it to your grandmother? two spoon fulls of diana ross, a pinch of cher, a shake of dolly parton, all sealed with walt disney's family friendliness. the early years helping shape

the superstar to who he is today. growing up in a tense household in 1960s san diego. >> there is one scene in the book where my parents are acting all crazy. my mother got angry at my pear for philandering around, and she poured gasoline all over his car and said i will light this on fire because you're so angry at him. but the whole neighborhood, my sisters and i included were across the street watching this scene unfold. both parents could have died. our house could have burned down. >> i want to talk about your mother. >> okay. >> oohooh hoo. >> yeah, yeah. >> she did not hold back. >> she didn't. i got to tell you, i loved her so much. i liked her a lot. she liked me. and she didn't like a lot of people. [ laughter ] she was so real. i'm really both my mother and my father, you know. my public persona is very

charming like my father. my mother is very -- was very introverted and very suspicious. and i'm that too. i'm all of those things. >> and your mom knew -- your mom knew way back who you were? >> yes. >> that you were gay. >> she was able to recognize the truth when she saw it. >> so she had no judgment about that. >> she wasn't like you're going to go to hell. she wasn't like that at all. and she knew that who i was and am is authentic and true. >> his parents divorcing when rupaul was only 7 years old. his father leaving the home. >> i read where you'd be on the porch. >> yeah. >> waiting for him. and he would not come. >> uh-huh. >> and there came a time that you said you know what? that's his loss. >> yeah. >> have you healed from that? >> this is my deepest wound. and through therapy and building trust with that child who still lives inside of me, i've been able to heal myself. >> amid those painful early

years, a bright spot. a young rupaul drawn to the glow of television. >> i love the carol burnett show. i love cher always. ♪ i can't get no, i can't get no ♪ >> i loved everything about television. i think it has something to do with this -- it's a community. it's a tribal community of laughter and of shared experiences. when i was 11, 12 on pbs they used to show monty python's flying circus show. and i thought those are my people. i must go and find my people. because they were irreverent. they were funny. they didn't take life too seriously, which i knew from an early age that's the ticket. >> moving to atlanta in his teenaged years, he spent time appearing on a public access television program, "the american music show". >> no how, no way, atlanta georgia, right here, yes, sir.

>> the experience propelling him forward. >> you have to put yourself out there. i've done so many things where i thought -- where i was awful, i was terrible. but i had to put myself out there, because i knew that my destiny was waiting for me. >> his destiny. picking up gigs from atlanta to new york. persevering through periods of homelessness, and finally finding success. releasing the hit song "supermodel" in '93. ♪ work, turn to the left, work, turn to the right ♪ ♪ sashay ♪ >> and appearing on mtv news, a moment he watched with his mother. >> right before she died, she got to see the very beginning of my becoming famous. she was literally on her death bed, and i had told her let's watch mtv, because there is a report that's coming on of me. >> everybody is a drag queen. you're born naked and the rest is drag. >> so we watched it. and she said ru, you are crazy,

which is the greatest compliment coming from her. and she got to see that her -- everything that she had said would happen for me was happening. >> but the price of stardom came with pitfalls. you don't hesitate about talking about being at the time dependent on drugs. >> uh-huh. >> and you really go there in telling the story in various times and periods of your life. what was it like for you in writing this, to sit back in those dark times again? >> well, because i am still in a 12-step program, it has prepared me to accept life on life's terms. so all of that stuff led me to where i am today. i needed to go through that. >> finding sobriety alongside his husband george lebar. >> he is my favorite person i've ever met. >> so does it feel different being married?

>> no, no, no, no. we were destined to be together. we tried to split up. >> it's good when you find your person. >> it's the greatest gift i've ever been given in my life. no joke, it really is. >> now rupaul son a level all his own. the undisputed queen of drag, as he so famously reminded jimmy fallon in 2020. >> this is gigantic. this is the first time a drag queen has ever been put on the -- >> a drag queen? a drag queen? i am the queen of drag [ cheering ] ♪ ♪ nay the best drag queen win ♪ >> and the drag race empire spanning the globe. >> you have 49 emmys, several spin-offs. did you ever imagine having this kind of impact with the show? >> i did not imagine that the show would be as popular and impactful as it has been.

but i am so grateful that it is. because we get to hear these stories of these young people who are so courageous and so brilliant. and we really hold a mirror up to them so that they can see how brilliant they are. >> each episode always ending with his mantra of self-respect. >> and remember, if you can't love yourself, how in the hell you going to love somebody else? >> because if you can't love yourself, how are you going love somebody else? >> someone picking up the book. what is it that you want them to be able to take away to let them realize the superpower they have within themselves, as you were able to do. >> the book is a handbook, a guide, a how-to. find your own truth. learn how know what it is you came here to do. what can you bring to the party? life is a party. then you better bring something,

otherwise you won't be invited back. [ laughter ] >> you are still getting this party started. >> our thanks to robin. rupaul's memoir "the house of hidden means" is out now. when we come back, who did i marry? the tiktok obsession. reesamteesa says the man of her dreams was a master of deception. starting a business is never easy, but starting it eight months pregnant... that's a different story. i couldn't slow down. we were starting a business from the ground up. people were showing up left and right. and so did our business needs the chase ink card made it easy. when you go for something big like this, your kids see that. and they believe they can do the same. earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase with the chase ink business unlimited card. make more of what's yours. mucinex nightshift starts working at bed time to fight your worst night-time symptoms. how could you? and leaves your system fast.

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welcome back. teresa johnson thought she married the man of her dreams, but she says he was a pathological liar. she turned her story into a

50-part viral sensation with more than 400 million views. we're not naming the man involved. we're using the nickname she gave him in the video, legion. once again here is my colleague robin roberts. >> with just one question, she had the internet hooked. >> who [ bleep ] did i marry? >> in her 50-part tiktok series, teresa johnson, now widely known on social media as reesa teesa details her whirlwind romance that she says was filled with love, heartbreak and alleged deception. >> i'm going tell the story of how i met, dated, married, and divorced a real pathological liar. >> the viral saga has garnered more than 400 million views and counting. were you nervous at all about sharing? >> yes, i was nervous. but ultimately, i decide if you're going to tell this story, tell the whole story. i also really truly believed the

story will help somebody. it costs you nothing to verify. but it very well may cost you everything to not verify. >> the narrative spread out over an eight hour-long tiktok play list. part one. how did y'all meet? >> we met on facebook dating. >> and we also matched on hinge. i did not realize that he was on both under two different names. >> there are a lot of things in this story that were red flags. this was probably one of them. this was a guy who i really after having multiple conversations with felt like wow, where have you been? >> within two weeks, she says the couple decided to quarantine together in her atlanta home. >> it was more of a very temporary he's coming to stay for the lockdown. the lockdown just never ended. >> teresa says legion told her he had substantial savings from his time playing arena football,

and quickly took over paying her household bills. >> part of the reason you stayed, was there anything to do with the fact that he said he had money, or you thought that he had money? >> i definitely was not with him for the money, but i will admit that there came a point he was paying all the bills. i really felt like oh, thank you, jesus. like i can just exhale. >> teresa also says he made promises to buy her things, including a luxury car, a house, and a trip to london. what were you thinking when he was making all these promises when they weren't happening? >> we're touring houses. i physically saw him put an offer in on a house. it is unfathomable to see someone put an offer in and they have no money. so my mind was kind of saying, okay, something isn't right. but you know what you saw. >> in the series, teresa explains why she continuously chose to overlook what she calls the united nations of red flags.

>> there is something that you said. number one, i don't want to be alone. number two -- >> i didn't want to look stupid by having the relationship end so quickly. for everyone it would be like we told you something was up. and number three, i was ready to get married. >> i felt like time was running out. i ignored things because i really wanted it to be my turn. >> you get pregnant. and unfortunately, you lose the baby. >> that is where i say the relationship should have ended. instead, the miscarriage almost pushed me to hold on to him even more. >> teresa claims after they got married, she started uncovering an elaborate web of lie. >> i got married january 5th. by january 31st, i knew i was in trouble. >> what was the most painful part? >> the part that still makes me -- that i struggle with is

you pretended to be your own executive assistant when i was texting you to say i'm in preop. so there was never an executive assistant. you were never in a meeting. you just simply did not take me to the hospital when i lost our child. >> teresa says she discovered he had a criminal record. documents revealing legion plead guilty to charges of impersonating a police officer in 2017 and even had an open warrant for violating probation. after just six months of marriage, teresa and legion divorced. >> it was after if a huge -- a year worth of weight came off of me. i broke down, and i mean, i wailed. >> i heard you say that you're not who you were before all this happened. do you miss her? >> i do. i do. she got excited. i don't really get excited

anymore. i am terrified to get excited, because i went through a whole year and some change of getting excited only for it to be stripped away. being single is not always a great thing. but being married to the wrong person is a completely different type of hell. >> we reached out the legion on several occasions. he declined to respond, but he took to social media and refuted the claims by teresa, including denying that he had financial woes and saying the relationship ended because teresa allegedly had an affair. legion maintains that her story is only being posted now because he is in another relationship. how do you think this, you, your story has resonated with so many people? >> i do think being accountable, people appreciate that. there is -- i have nothing wrong with asking for grace if i'm going to be honest and say this is where i messed up. i know i messed up. >> teresa says even though recording the series was cathartic, therapy has been key.

>> it is still very much a journey of healing, self-reflection, and simply loving myself way more than to put myself through that or anything even like that ever again. ever. >> our thanks again to robin. when we return, one of the two most famous brothers in football deciding to hang up his cleats. so i didn't think i needed swiffer, until, i saw how easily it picked up my hair every time i dried it! only takes a minute. look at that! the heavy duty cloths are extra thick, for amazing trap & lock. even for his hair. wow. and for dust, i love my heavy duty duster. the fluffy fibers trap dust on contact, up high and all around without having to lift a thing. i'm so hooked. you'll love swiffer. or your money back! zyrtec allergy relief works fast and lasts a full 24 hours so dave can be the...

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finally tonight, jason kelce announcing his retirement from the nfl. >> i'm announcing i'm retiring from the nfl after 13 seasons with the philadelphia eagles. >> the super bowl champ wiping away tears. >> i have been the underdog my entire career. few things gave me more joy than proving someone wrong. >> thanking his team, his coaches from over the years, his parents, and his brother, kansas city chiefs star player travis kelce in the front row. good for him. his next stop in football, canton, ohio. that's "nightline" for this evening. catch our full episodes on hulu.

we'll see you right back h