Drag Race (franchise)

Drag Race
The main logo styling; each franchise and iteration uses this alongside the local name for said franchise e.g. RuPaul's Drag Race in the UK and Canada's Drag Race in Canada etc.
Created by
Original workRuPaul's Drag Race
(United States)
OwnerWorld of Wonder
Years2009–present
Games
Video game(s)RuPaul's Drag Race Superstar
Audio
Original musicRuPaul's Drag Race (theme song)
Miscellaneous
Genre
First airedFebruary 2, 2009; 15 years ago (2009-02-02)

Drag Race is a drag queen reality competition television franchise, created by American drag entertainer RuPaul with production company World of Wonder. The franchise originated with RuPaul's Drag Race, which premiered in the United States in 2009. The objective of that series is to crown "America's Next Drag Superstar" who possesses the traits of "charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent".[1] The original series is often credited for bringing drag into the "mainstream".[2] The popularity of the original series led to the creation of a media franchise including spin-offs and international adaptations.

As of 2024, the original series, RuPaul's Drag Race, has produced sixteen seasons and inspired the spin-off shows RuPaul's Drag U, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race, and RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars; the companion series RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked; and numerous international adaptations including British and Australian and New Zealand versions hosted by RuPaul as well as Chilean, Thai, Canadian, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, French, Filipino, Belgian, Swedish, Mexican, Brazilian, German, and South African editions and international vs. the World competitions hosted in The United Kingdom and Canada and All Stars in Spain & France.

Three drag fan conventions have also been created: RuPaul's DragCon LA, RuPaul's DragCon NYC, and RuPaul's DragCon UK.[3]

  1. ^ Ling, Thomas (November 21, 2019). "When is RuPaul's Drag Race UK released? Start date, guest judges and contestants". Radio Times. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  2. ^ Abraham, Amelia (August 10, 2019). "'Finally! A sport for us gay people!': how drag went mainstream". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 10, 2019. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  3. ^ Anderson, Tre’vell (May 15, 2015). "Q&A: RuPaul champions importance of drag with DragCon". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 30, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.