RuPaul's Drag Race season 16: Everything we know so far
Season 15 of RuPaul's Drag Race made several headlines with its drama, fierce competition, and many talented contestants taking the stage to showcase their skills. In the wake of its upcoming season, the show has again been in the news, although there has been no confirmation from the show as to when it will premiere.
However, based on the previous seasons' release dates, fans can expect it to premiere around January 2024. Paramount announced on Monday, August 21, that the show would be renewed for a new season. As part of season 15, which was released in January 2023, Sasha Colby took home the trophy and $200,000 in cash.
In that season, the cast members included Sasha Colby, Anetra, Luxx Noir London, Mistress Isabelle Brooks, Loosey LaDuca, Salina EsTitties, Marcia Marcia Marcia, Malaysia Babydoll Foxx, Spice, Jax, Aura Mayari, Robin Fierce, Amethyst, Sugar, Princess Poppy, and Irene Dubois. Sasha shared the following on stage after winning the season 15 trophy:
"This goes to every trans person, past, present, and future because we are not going anywhere. It is such a privilege to be on this show and to now have a platform to help everyone that looks like us not feel so scared about what's going on in the world. And to know that they still need to be doing drag, honey.”
Along with this, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars will also be returning with season 9 in the near future.
Who will host the 16th season of RuPaul's Drag Race?
As of now, there has not been a confirmed cast list announcement from the show, but according to RuPaul's Drag Race Fandom, the expected cast members for season 16 are Amanda Tori Meating, Dawn, Geneva Karr, Hershii LiqCour-Jeté, Megami, Mhi'ya Iman LePaige, Mirage Amuro, Morphine Love Dion, Nymphia Wind, Plane Jane, Plasma, Q, Sapphira Cristál, and Xunami Muse.
The trailer is expected to be released following the announcement of the release date. New episodes will be released on MTV and then on Paramount. Additionally, Hulu has some old seasons of the show available on its platform, while the new seasons are available on the original network source.
RuPaul's Drag Race, created by RuPaul and Fenton Bailey, originally premiered on February 2, 2009. Nick Murray, Ian Stevenson, and Justin Harder are the directors of the show. Season 16 is expected to be hosted by RuPaul, with judges including Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, and Ross Mathews. The synopsis of the show mentions the following:
"RuPaul's Drag Race" is a reality show in which a group of talented drag queens compete in challenges to impress host RuPaul, the world's most famous drag queen, to win a cash prize along with a crown and the title of America's Next Drag Superstar. Each episode consists of a main challenge, usually some form of performance or fashion design -- sometimes both.”
In addition, it mentions:
“The queens then participate in a themed runway show, where one is declared the winner of that week, while two others are announced to be up for elimination. The bottom two must then compete to stay on the show with a lip-sync for their lives.”
In the upcoming season, RuPaul's Drag Race is expected to feature new celebrity guest judges, as it did in the previous season with Ariana Grande, Janelle Monáe, Ali Wong, Hayley Kiyoko, Harvey Guillén, Maren Morris, Julia Garner, Amandla Stenberg, Megan Stalter, and Orville Peck.
The release date of RuPaul's Drag Race season 16 has not yet been announced, so fans will have to wait for a while.
Quick Links
Shreya Das