"Fight for it": RuPaul's Drag Race season 16 guest coach Melissa McCarthy gives emotional speech

Melissa McCarthy made a guest appearance on RuPaul's Drag Race season 16 episode 7, released on Friday, February 16. Titled The Sound of Rusic, the latest episode tested the queens’ abilities to perform musicals. At 53, Melissa isn’t only one of the highest-paid actors in the world, but also a pillar of mainstream Hollywood comedy.

She went from playing scene-stealing supporting roles to emerging as an A-list celebrity with features on fan-favorite funny flicks like Bridesmaids, Spy, and Life of the Party. With an Emmy-running run on CBS’ Mike & Molly, she’s well-known for her parody of Sean Spicer on Saturday Night Live, and more recently, stole the limelight for playing Ursula on The Little Mermaid.

Melissa found her calling in drag when she moved to New York, juggling performing stand-up, studying fashion, and being a drag queen named Miss Y, all at once. During her appearance on RuPaul's Drag Race, the 52-year-old reflected on her career struggle in an emotional speech, where she stated:

“Just keep doing what you're doing - it's not only wildly entertaining and it brings joy, it's important. Fight for it, because it's worth it."

In episode 7, Melissa joined director-choreographer Adam Shankman to help the cast with their dance moves for the Rusical challenge.

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Melissa McCarthy coaches RuPaul's Drag Race season 16 contestants

The Oscar-nominated celeb recalled the time when drag helped cement her career in the entertainment world. According to McCarthy, being a drag queen boosted her with the “courage” she needed as a performer while navigating her career in the early days:

“I just adore you all, I adore what you do. Drag is a big part of why I have a career. I was going to drag shows when I shouldn't have been, and it literally gave me the courage to get up on stage. I started in drag, I started in a big old red wig called Miss Y."

Melissa explained that watching the contestants compete for their space in the Emmy-winning competition series makes her feel “proud”. She added:

“When I look at you fighting to carve out your space, it makes me so proud, and I just want to thank you for it and root for you. You're all gorgeous ladies, and I just love you."

Many were moved by her emotional speech, including New York native Dawn, who felt “insignificant” in comparison to Melissa’s struggle for success. She said in a confessional:

"Listening to Melissa McCarthy talk about drag and even get a little choked up talking to us about it, makes me realize how significant it is to even be here.”

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Who went home on RuPaul's Drag Race season 16 episode 7?

On Friday night’s episode, all the queens participated in performing in the parody show, The Sound of Rusic, based on the 1959 Rogers & Hammerstein musical. The challenge quickly stirred up tensions between the contestants regarding who gets which role. Later, with an exciting coaching session with Melissa McCarthy in the Werk room, The Sound of Rusic was brought to life, followed by the runaway.

Queen Plasma emerged as the winner this week while Megami and Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige found themselves in the bottom spot. In the end, Megami became the fifth queen to be eliminated on RuPaul's Drag Race season 16.

The remaining queens to move ahead in the competition are Dawn, Mhi'ya Iman Le'Paige, Morphine Love Dion, Nymphia Wind, Plane Jane, Plasma, Q, Sapphira Cristal, and Xunami Muse.

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RuPaul's Drag Race season 16 episode 8 will be released on Friday, February 23 at 8 pm ET on MTV.