This is how many Instagram followers 'Drag Race' season 16 queens gained over the season

The girlies are getting very popular on Instagram!

The RuPaul's Drag Race franchise has a very large and very intense fanbase that turns queens with a few thousand followers (sometimes even less!) into bona fide superstars. Namely, some of the most-followed Drag Race queens on Instagram are Trixie Mattel, Katya, Bianca Del Rio, Plastique Tiara, and Adore Delano, to name a few.

It is now harder than ever before for queens to stand out with the fandom given how many concurrent seasons of Drag Race may be airing at the same time. As a matter of fact, in 2024, the 16th season of Drag Race in the U.S. was airing during the same period of time as the second edition of RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World, season 2 of Drag Race Belgique, and the first-ever Drag Race España All Stars!

With so much new content — and new queens — being introduced around the world, it can be tricky for newcomers in the Drag Race franchise to capture the public's attention. Thankfully, season 16 gave us a variety of queens with pure charisma and fascinating personalities that are really resonating with fans. So if you're curious to find out which queens grew the most in terms of Instagram following, we've got you covered.

The following ranking includes data points recorded on December 5, 2023 (prior to the season 16 cast announcement) and April 23, 2024 (three days after the grand finale).

Scroll through to find out who are the most-followed queens from RuPaul's Drag Race season 16!

14. Mhi'ya Iman Le'Paige — 168% growth

Instagram (@queenofflipss)

The Queen of Flips herself went from 27,700 followers to a new total of 72,500, which is a growth of 168%.

13. Hershii LiqCour Jeté — 243% growth

Instagram (@hershiiliqcour)

First-eliminated queen Hershii LiqCour Jeté grew 242% on Instagram. She went from 12,100 followers to now having 41,500.

12. Xunami Muse — 386% growth

Instagram (@xunamimuse)

Xunami Muse who won the season 16 title of Miss Congeniality in a tie with Sapphira Cristál. On Instagram, Xunami grew 386% growth that went from 18,100 followers to a current total of 88,000.

11. Morphine Love Dion — 389% growth

Instagram (@morphinelovemua)

Morphine Love Dion already had 41,500 followers before she even went on Drag Race, which is a pretty high number! Throughout the airing of Drag Race, though, Morphine's Instagram had a growth of 389% and reached 203,000 followers.

10. Geneva Karr — 803% growth

Instagram (@geneva_karr)

The roller-coaster ride of Drag Race was particularly intense given that every episode that she participated in, she was either the winner of the challenge, or in a top placement, or in a bottom placement. On Instagram, the Mexican queen went from 5,610 to 50,700, which means that she still managed to grow her following by 803%.

9. Megami — 841% growth

Instagram (@megaminyc)

Megami had a wild and interesting journey on Drag Race that culminated in her glorious redemption episode during the eliminated-queens LaLaPaRuza challenge. Generally, Megami grew 841% on Instagram — from having just 7,108 followers to now reaching 66,900 people.

8. Mirage — 1,089% growth

Instagram (@mirage_amuro)

Mirage grew 1,089% on Instagram despite going home so early on Drag Race. She used to have an impressive 20,100 followers, but that number is now up to 239,000!

7. Dawn — 1,264% growth

Instagram (@upuntil.dawn)

Dawn's Instagram following went from 20,300 to 277,000, proving how big of a fan-favorite she's become while appearing in season 16.

6. Sapphira Cristál — 1,270% growth

Instagram (@sapphiracristal)

The Miss Congeniality winner and runner-up of Drag Race season 16, Sapphira Cristál is among the cast members who grew their following the most. Overall, Sapphira grew by 1,270%, going from an original 13,500 followers and a current total of 185,000.

5. Plasma — 1,529% growth

Instagram (@ plasmanyc)

The elimination of Plasma came as a huge shock given that this Broadway diva had already won two maxi challenges throughout season 16. In any case, Plasma's IG page went from 7,183 to 118,000 followers over the course of the show, which is an impressive 1,529% growth!

4. Q — 1,625% growth

Instagram (@living4q)

Q went from 7,305 followers to 126,000 — which represents a growth of 1,625%. While some fans might be under the impression that Q is only getting a hard time on social media, a growth percentage like this shows how many people loved and rooted for Q on Drag Race.

3. Amanda Tori Meating — 2,114% growth

Instagram (@amandatorimeating)

Going home in episode 5 but still having a growth of 2,114% on Instagram is proof of the massive star-power and charisma that Amanda Tori Meating possesses. Specifically, she went from having 4,286 followers before this season's Meet the Queens and has now wrapped her time on the show with 94,900 followers.

2. Nymphia Wind — 2,138% growth

Instagram (@66wind99)

Even before she became winner of season 16 and the newly-crowned America's Next Drag Superstar, Nymphia Wind already had a pretty significant following of 24,800 people on Instagram. But since then, Nymphia has had a meteoric rise and reached a mind-blowing total of 555,000 followers at this time. And just like that, her IG presence grew by 2,138%.

1. Plane Jane — 2,822% growth

Instagram (@the_planejane)

The "polarizing" Plane Jane grew 2,822% on Instagram, going from 9,581 to a whopping 282,000 as of this writing. This was a truly transformative journey for Plane not only on Drag Race itself but also through social media.