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It was a good time.
Liza Minnelli made a rare appearance on the season 17 finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” on Friday night, where she received the show’s Giving Us Lifetime Achievement Award.
The honor recognizes people who’ve made an impact in the drag and fashion world.
The crowd erupted in a round of applause as the EGOT winner, 79, told the audience, “I love you!”
“I speak for a grateful nation when I say: Liza, we love you,” host RuPaul told Minelli.
“Thank you. I don’t know what else to say, except, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be me. You made me!” the actress, who was seated on a red throne, replied.
RuPaul, 64, sweetly chimed in, “Well, you made us, actually! One more time, let’s ring them bells!”
After accepting her award, Minnelli mouthed along to her 1972 song “Ring Them Bells” and she struck a series of poses from her chair.
Minnelli has long been a champion for the LGBTQ+ community, writing a letter to Billboard in honor of pride in 2017.
“Where would I be without the LGBTQ community of dazzling souls who have always supported and understood me on a level that is unique and extraordinary,” the artist penned. “From my earliest memories I understood that some people were different, especially when I met so many of the creative people who were working on films made by my mother and father.”
“Today I celebrate all the special people, past and present,” continued Minnelli. “Who made it possible for me to be here and to be courageously different. Their examples have shaped me, and without them, my life would be empty.”
Prior to “Drag Race,” the “Cabaret” star’s last major appearance was at the 2022 Oscars, where she went on stage in a wheelchair, alongside Lady Gaga.
The duo presented the award for Best Picture, with Minnelli’s publicist, Scott Gorenstein, telling People at the time: “Lady Gaga requested that Liza present the award with her.”
“You know how I love working with legends. And I’m honored to present the final award of the evening with a true show business legend,” Gaga, 39, said while on stage.
Minnelli, the daughter of Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli, first rose to fame after starring in the off-Broadway revival of “Best Foot Forward” in 1963.
By 1969, the actress landed the lead role in the romance/drama “The Sterile Cuckoo” and a year later, in 1970, she starred in “Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon.”
During the same time, Minnelli worked on her music – recording her debut album “Liza Minnelli” in 1968 and two albums, “Come Saturday Morning” and “New Feelin’,” in 1970.
Two years later, in 1972, Minnelli became a household name for her portrayal of Sally Bowles in “Cabaret” – in which she took home her first Academy Award.
“It’s the kind of film that I was just so pleased to be in,” she told the BBC in 1973. “I think that Bob Fosse found a new way of making a musical film. You know, it wasn’t like anything else in particular. There was music in it, but nobody burst into song on a bus or anything like that.”
In 2024, Minnelli reflected on her career and growing up with two powerhouse parents.
“The most glamorous was my father, and the most challenging was my mother,” the Oscar winner told Interview Magazine at the time. “I bounced back and forth because they were divorced, but I loved them both so much. My mother was fascinating because she knew so many fascinating people who would come over. And my father used to let me go to the set and watch him direct. I’d go to the dance room where they choreographed stuff and learn it. I’d watch people like Cyd Charisse and Gene Kelly.”
Garland, who starred as Dorothy Gale in “The Wizard of Oz” in 1939, died at the age of 47 from an overdose in 1969.
Vincente, meanwhile, was married to Garland from 1945 to 1951, and died in 1986 at 83 years old.
As for the biggest misconception people have about Minnelli?
She shared that “they read trash and tripe and don’t know that my life is really beautiful. It’s filled with loved ones, laughter, creativity, and emotional as well as financial safety.”
“People weaponize crazy stories, it’s a friggin’ bore. I don’t think people understand what a close family we are. My sister Lorna and I get together and giggle,” Minnelli explained. “She has the family courage. I love each of my siblings. My brother Joey, my sister Tina [from Vincente’s second marriage]. Her kids were here with me for a few days and the press did not find out. Ha!“