Television
Nicki Minaj Will Judge ‘Drag Race’ Season 12’s First Episode
“Young Money in the house.”
January 30 2020 3:07 PM EST
May 26 2023 2:00 PM EST
MikelleStreet
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“Young Money in the house.”
With VH1 money comes VH1 level celebrities for the season premieres of RuPaul's Drag Race. Over the past few years we've seen Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, and Miley Cyrust guest judge the season premiere of Drag Race, now it's Nicki Minaj's turn.
"I am Nicki Minaj and I pledge allegiance to the drag," the rapper said in a promo clip. "Show up, and make herstory. Boom!"
Minaj wrote to Twitter that she's been a fan of the show and that judging it has been a dream of hers "for so long." She of course isn't the only celebrity fan with the likes of Marc Jacobs, Rihanna, and many others as vocal supporters.
\u201cA dream of mine for so long \ud83d\udc51\ud83d\udc84 @rupaulsdragrace season 12 starts Friday 2/28 at 8pm on @VH1! \u2728 #dragrace\u201d— Nicki Minaj (@Nicki Minaj) 1580408167
The trailer provides very little in terms of teasers for the debut episode. It does include a shot of the contestants in what seems to be a group number, so maybe there's that to look forward to?
"You look like a Barbie out of the box," Minaj tells one. Trixie Mattel, is that you?
The episode will kick off a year of Drag Race. At some point we will see RuPaul's Celebrity Drag Race, as well as RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Internationally we are also expecting RuPaul's Drag Race U.K., Canada's Drag Race, and Drag Race Thailand. So buckle up.
Last week the show announced its lineup of 13 queens. The new season will debut on February 28 and will be followed by Untucked.
Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.
Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.