MTV and VH1 veteran Jason Shumaker dies at 55 after playing pivotal role in RuPaul’s Drag Race

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Jason Shumaker, a communications executive who helped shape early MTV and VH1, has passed away at the age of 55.

I was so saddened to hear about the passing of Shumaker on February 16th. Apparently, he died from complications related to acute myeloid leukemia, according to Deadline.

Before rising up the ranks, Shumaker served as the lead publicist on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

He was instrumental in the success of the drag competition, which has been running for 18 seasons since its debut in 2009.

During Shumaker’s time working on the show, RuPaul, the host, became incredibly well-known, and the series has since grown to include many different spin-off shows.

Shumaker oversaw communications for MTV, as well as its related channels: MTV2, MTV Live, MTV Classic, and mtvU.

While working at MTV, Shumaker managed publicity for the network’s biggest events, such as the Video Music Awards and the MTV Movie & TV Awards.

He managed publicity for several of the network’s biggest shows, including the fantasy series The Shannara Chronicles. He also led publicity efforts for MTV’s Scream adaptation, the Unplugged performance series, and popular reality shows like Fear Factor, Floribama Shore, Are You The One?, and Siesta Key, among others.

Shumaker first gained prominence in the publicity field while working at Logo, the original network for RuPaul’s Drag Race.

The show originally aired on one network, then moved to VH1 in 2017 and later to MTV in 2023. All three networks are owned by the same company, now known as Paramount Skydance.

Following a promotion, Shumaker started managing publicity for several reality shows on VH1, such as Celebrity Rehab, VH1 Divas, and VH1 Storytellers.

After leaving Viacom, Shumaker initially joined The Culture Trip, a new company focused on entertainment and travel, as their US communications director. However, he quickly transitioned to a role in executive communications at Verizon, as reported by The Wrap.

He made another move in 2022, when he jumped to Google. 

He worked as an executive communications manager, focusing on marketing for platforms and ecosystems, which represented a shift from his previous career in entertainment.

He led communications for major events like the Cannes Film Festival, as well as tech conferences including Mobile World Congress and CES.

In 2024, Shumaker switched careers, leaving the entertainment world to become the director of internal communications at CRH, a global building materials company headquartered in Dublin.

Shumaker is remembered by his parents, Lew and Cathie Shumaker, his sister Tammy Golden, her husband Patrick, and his three nephews.

A celebration of his life will be held in New York City, followed by a mass, and he will be buried in Delaware in the coming months.

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2026-02-20 04:23