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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

MICHELLE VISAGE, ROSS MATHEWS, AND KATHERINE MOENNIG
ANNOUNCED AS GUEST STARS FOR “HUMPDAY WITH HAMPSHIRE”
HOSTED BY “SCHITT’S CREEK” STAR
EMILY HAMPSHIRE
TO RAISE MONEY FOR
THE ACTORS FUND
TO HELP THE ENTERTAINMENT & PERFORMING ARTS COMMUNITY
IMPACTED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC  

THIS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 AT 5 PM EST/2 PM PST

New York, NY (April 13, 2020) – The Actors Fund announced guest stars for this week’s live-streamed talk-show “Humpday with Hampshire” hosted by “Schitt’s Creek” star, award-winning actress and Screen Actors Guild® Nominee Emily Hampshire.

Appearing with Emily on the program this Wednesday, April 15 will be:
Michelle Visage (Emmy Award®-Winner, “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, “Strictly Come Dancing”), Ross Mathews (“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, “Celebrity Big Brother”, “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, “Straight Talk with Ross Mathews” podcast) and Katherine Moennig (“The L Word: Generation Q”, “Ray Donovan”, “Grown-ish”).

The weekly program debuted April 1 on The Actors Fund YouTube channel here and will continue to feature virtual interviews with celebrities in their natural habitats—be it their bedrooms, kitchens, garages or closets. They’ll share advice on how to get through this unprecedented time with humor, kindness—and your sanity intact.

Produced by The Actors Fund, the innovative, genre-busting series will raise money for emergency financial assistance and other services for entertainment and performing arts professionals who have been impacted by COVID-19. The show will live-stream weekly until film, TV and theater productions are back up and running.

“Humpday with Hampshire will also feature quarantine-themed games including “Show Us Your Junk (Drawer)”, “What is your quarROUTINE”, and “Phone a Friend Roulette.”

All proceeds from viewer donations will go directly to The Actors Fund, the national human services organization that fosters stability and resiliency and serves as a safety net to everyone in performing arts and entertainment.

The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that fosters stability and resiliency, and provides a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan. Through offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, The Fund serves everyone in film, theater, television, music, opera, radio and dance with programs including social services and emergency financial assistance, health care and insurance counseling, housing, and secondary employment and training services.

BIOGRAPHIES

MICHELLE VISAGE. Emmy Award winning, internationally renowned television personality, radio show host, podcast host, platinum-selling recording artist and author, Michelle Visage has made a name for herself in the entertainment industry, across multiple mediums for the past three decades. The Diva Rules [Chronicle Books] offers Michelle’s advice for living life to the fullest and finding success no matter what hand you’re dealt. On the television front, Visage can be seen as THE judge on the multiple Emmy Award winning VH1 show, “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” alongside RuPaul, Carson Kressley, and Ross Mathews. The reality competition show leaves fans wanting more each week with their rapid-fire quick wit, impeccable sense of style and signature sass, as they decide who will stay or “Sashay Away.” Visage can also be seen as a judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” next to RuPaul, Graham Norton and Alan Carr which airs on BBC3 and BBC1. Michelle was also a judge for both years on the IFTA-nominated “Ireland’s Got Talent”. Visage has been a staple on morning radio for 17 years, hosting and co-hosting programs on various stations such as WKTU 103.5 [New York], HOT 92.3 [Los Angeles], SUNNY 104.3 [West Palm Beach, FL], WMIA [Miami] and Sirius XM, to name a few. In this time, Michelle has recorded thousands of commercials and delivered even more live reads. She is currently a co-host of the hugely successful RuPaul’s “What’s the Tee with Michelle Visage” podcast, which won a 2018 Webby Award as well as the show having been downloaded over 40 million times. On the music front, Visage rose to fame as a member of the girl group Seduction in the early 1990s, with their platinum-selling album “Nothing Matters Without Love,” that spawned multiple hits that climbed the billboard charts. Visage was also featured on the bestselling soundtrack of all time [35 million copies sold], The Bodyguard [Warner Brothers Pictures], with her remake of Bill Withers’ “It’s Gonna Be A Lovely Day,” that she wrote and sang. Visage was immediately signed to Arista Records by Clive Davis himself. As a newly crowned dancer, Michelle competed and dominated in the 2019 season of the UK’s biggest show, “Strictly Come Dancing”, leaving after a controversial dance off. She was the fan favorite and fell in love with dancing! Visage currently splits her time between Los Angeles and the UK. She shares her life with her husband, two daughters and two rescue pups.

ROSS MATHEWS. Since 2001, Ross Mathews has traveled the world and established himself as one of the most in-demand television personalities, hosts and pop culture experts in the entertainment arena today. Endearing and witty, undeniably funny and one of the hardest working people in show business, Mathews has won the hearts of millions of Americans since his television debut — as a correspondent for “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Today, Mathews can currently be seen as a judge on VH1’s critically acclaimed, award-winning series “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Mathews, along with RuPaul, Carson Kressley, and Michelle Visage leave fans wanting more each week with their rapid-fire quick wit, impeccable sense of style and signature sass, as they decide who will stay, lip-synch for their life or “Sashay Away.” In 2019, the reality competition franchise secured a staggering 14 Emmy nominations (winning Outstanding Competition Program for the second year in a row), a record for both the network and the “Drag Race” brand. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is currently in its twelfth season and airing new episodes. As an author, Mathews penned “Name Drop” (Atria Books, Simon & Schuster), the follow up to his national bestseller “Man-Up: Tales of My Delusional Self-Confidence.” Name Drop showcases incredible celebrity stories that Mathews only divulges in at happy hour, with each chapter paired with one of his famous recipes and cocktails, aka Rossipes. His Rossipes include A Star Fruit Martini Is Born (Chapter: The Lady Gaga Story) and Barbara Waltermelon Salad (Chapter: The View Story, Part One) to name a few. “Name Drop” was released on February 4, 2020 with Mathews kicking off the “Name Drop” tour, the same day, across North America where fans can hear more stories and play games. In September 2018, Mathews launched Ross Mathews’ Dragtastic Bubbly Brunch, a weekly brunch event in Los Angeles, specially curated and featuring top Drag Queens from “Drag Race,” and sometimes a special appearance by Mathews himself, in a fabulously unique interactive event to rival all other LA brunches. Since then the brunches have traveled across 12 cities in the United States including Chicago, New York, Seattle and Columbus, Ohio to name a few.

Also on the hosting side, Mathews can be found in the studio recording his weekly top rated podcast “Straight Talk with Ross Mathews.” The podcast debuted in 2014, and offers fans new episodes weekly showcasing Mathews’ distinct voice and hilarious takes on the latest celebrity and entertainment news. Past guests include Tracee Ellis Ross, Kristen Bell and Tiffani Thiessen. Additional recent television credits for Mathews include competing on CBS’ “Celebrity Big Brother,” which was the first celebrity edition in the U.S. of the popular “Big Brother” series. He came in second place and won America’s Favorite Houseguest voted on by the viewers. Mathews was also the host of “Hello Ross” on E!, a weekly fan destination where the intersections of celebrity gossip and pop culture collide, giving a unique viewpoint into the latest Hollywood news. Mathews was nominated for a 2014 People’s Choice Award for “Favorite New Talk Show Host” for his work on “Hello Ross.” In 2015, Mathews also hosted his own radio show for SiriusXM on the OutQ channel. Additionally, Matthews has hosted the GLAAD Media Awards six times as well as the GLAAD Gala San Francisco, where in 2018 he was honored with the organization’s Davidson/Valentini Award.

In 2009, Mathews hosted and executive produced a daily web talk show for The Insider and CBS.com called “Inside Dish with Ross Mathews,” a show about covering Hollywood from the outside in. “Inside Dish” eventually became the official web show for CBS hits “Big Brother,” and the Emmy Award winning series “The Amazing Race.” In 2011, Mathews began a national college tour speaking about his experiences climbing the Hollywood ladder and discussing his humorous take on pop culture. Many of his tour dates were documented on E! News’ political series “Pop & Politics.” Leading up to the 2012 Presidential Election, Mathews was the official political reporter for E! News. He covered both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, where he interviewed politicians including First Lady Michelle Obama, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and former Republican Presidential nominee John McCain. Mathews’ impressive resume of programs he has appeared on over nearly two decades include E! Network’s red-carpet award show coverage, FOX’s “Hollywood Today Live” as a co-host, “Celebrity Name Game,” NBC’s “1 vs. 100” and “Phenomenon,” and FOX’s & Ryan Seacrest’s “Knock Knock Live.” He has appeared as a guest co-host multiple times on ABC’s “The View,” and he was a contestant on the fifth season of VH1’s hit series “Celebrity Fit Club.” He has also appeared as a celebrity correspondent on Extra and The Insider, has recurred as Chris on “Days of our Lives,” co-hosted The Game Show Network’s “Big Saturday Night,” appeared on the OWN Network’s “Ask Oprah’s All-Stars,” starred as himself in ABC Family’s holiday movie Christmas Cupid, and has made appearances on BRAVO’s “Interior Therapy,” ABC Family’s “Beverly Hills Nannies Reunion,” E!‘s “Studio E!” and “After Lately,” and HGTV’s “House Hunters”.

On the social media front, Mathews is a force with a total reach of over one million followers across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Mathews currently lives in the LA area with his rescue dogs. He also has a home in Palm Springs that he frequents on the weekends. When not working on his many projects, Mathews is a strong supporter of the Human Rights Campaign- he is a recipient of their Visibility Award, and continues to speak at their nationwide events.

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