Ross Mathews (born September 24, 1979)[1] is an American television host and personality. He rose to fame as "Ross the Intern" as a correspondent forThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Mathews has appeared onChelsea Lately,Celebrity Fit Club,The Insider,Celebrity Big Brother as well as his own talk showHello Ross. Ross is currently an executive producer and judge onRuPaul's Drag Race and co-hostsThe Drew Barrymore Show with Drew Barrymore.
Raised inMount Vernon, Washington,[2] Mathews graduated from Mount Vernon High School[3] and graduated from theUniversity of La Verne, inLa Verne, California, in 2002. He majored in communications[4] and competed in speech and debate competitions.[5]
Mathews began as an intern onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in December 2001, he covered movie premieres, theAcademy Awards, twoWinter Olympic Games, and other events.[6]
Mathews has contributed commentary to theE! networks various101... specials, and appeared as a weekly panelist on E's late night talk showChelsea Lately.[7] He appeared on the fifth season ofVH1's reality television show,Celebrity Fit Club. During the course of the show, which premiered in April 2007, Mathews lost more than 40 lbs. (18 kg) and helped his team win the grand prize.[8] He was also a guest host onThe View on July 17, 2007.[9] Mathews joined theE! Network's red carpet team, filling in forRyan Seacrest as co-host withGiuliana Rancic forE! Live From the Red Carpet coverage of the 2011Screen Actors Guild Awards, the2010 Emmy Awards, the 2011Golden Globe Awards, and the2011 Academy Awards. He hostedHello Ross, an interactive talk show on E! from September 6, 2013, until May 16, 2014.[10]
Mathews joined the panel of judges for RuPaul’s Drag Race beginning in 2015 for Season 7. Since 2022, he has served as an executive producer for the show andwon an Emmy in 2023 for Outstanding Reality Competition Program.
Ross has written three books. On May 7, 2013, Mathews released his bookMan Up! Tales of My Delusional Self-Confidence.[7] On February 4, 2020 he releasedName Drop: The Really Good Celebrity Stories I Usually Only Tell at Happy Hour. In 2025 he released Tío and Tío: The Ring Bearers, co-written with his husband Dr. Wellinthon García-Mathews.
In 2018, Mathews was announced as one of the eleven houseguests competing on thefirst American edition ofCelebrity Big Brother. He finished in 2nd place, winning $50,000, and was voted as America's Favorite Houseguest earning an additional prize of $25,000.[11] He appeared in thesecond season as part of a Head of Household competition.
Since fall 2020, he has appeared as a co-host onThe Drew Barrymore Show.
Mathews is openlygay.[12][13] From 2008 to 2018, he had a relationship with stylist Salvador Camarena.[14][15][16]
On February 23, 2021, Mathews announced his engagement to Wellinthon García, aLong Island educational administrator.[17][18] On May 7, 2022, Mathews and García married at a ceremony inPuerto Vallarta, Mexico.[19]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–2013 | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | Himself | Correspondent (62 episodes) |
| 2007 | Celebrity Fit Club | Contestant | Season 5 (8 episodes) |
| 2008–2011 | Days of Our Lives | Chris | |
| 2012 | Interior Therapy with Jeff Lewis | Himself | Guest (1 episode) |
| RuPaul's Drag Race | Himself | Guest Judge (1 episode) | |
| 2015–present | Main Judge | Season 7–present | |
| 2012–2016 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars | Himself | Guest Judge (4 episodes) |
| 2018–present | Main Judge | Season 3–present | |
| 2018 | Miss America 2019 | Co-host | |
| 2018 | Celebrity Big Brother | Contestant | Season 1, Runner-up (13 episodes) |
| 2019 | Guest | Season 2 (1 episode) | |
| 2020–present | The Drew Barrymore Show | Himself | "Drew's News" |
| 2021 | Adorableness | Co-host | Season 1 |
| 2023 | And Just Like That... | Himself | Episode: "February 14th" |
| 2024 | RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars | Guest Judge | Episode: "Everybody Say Love Girl Groups" |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Interactive Media for a Daytime Program | 93rd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade | Nominated | |
| 2023 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Reality Competition Program | RuPaul's Drag Race(as producer) | Won | [20] |
| 2024 | Nominated | ||||
| 2025 | Nominated |
| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Outstanding Producer of Game & Competition Television | RuPaul's Drag Race | Won | |
| 2023 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars | Nominated | ||
| 2024 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Won | ||
| 2025 | Nominated |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | People's Choice Award | Favorite New Talk Show Host | Hello Ross | Nominated | |
| 2018 | GLAAD Media Award | Davidson/Valentini Award | Himself | Honored |
As a kid in Mount Vernon, WA...
I graduated high school in Mount Vernon, at Mount Vernon High School, and 30 seconds later I moved to the streets of L.A.
Ross was president of the debate team his senior year. He performed individual events for the team, was state champion for two events and was sent to the nationals.
Wellinthon Garcia, the newly announced fiance of TV personality and 'RuPaul's Drag Race' judge Ross Mathews, is an educator with deep ties to Long Island.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
