“RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” is sashaying over to Showtime for a special edition that will premiere in June, immediately following the Season 12 finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” on sister channel VH1.
“Take VH1’s ‘Drag Race,’ for example. With a large and loyal following, we believe this franchise will be additive to Showtime’s subscriber dynamic, which is why we will air a special new season of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ on Showtime on a first window basis,” Bob Bakish, the president and CEO of Showtime and VH1 parent company ViacomCBS, announced during the company’s earnings call Thursday.
Per Showtime, “‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ gives viewers the chance to catch their favorite queens as they return for a second attempt to earn the crown, win a cash prize of $100,000 and garner a spot in the ‘Drag Race Hall of Fame.’”
The special season will premiere Friday, June 5 at 8/7c on Showtime on both its linear channel and streaming platform.
“‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ is a culture-defining show that fits perfectly within the contemporary programming Showtime offers in both scripted and unscripted,” Jana Winograde, co-president of entertainment at Showtime Networks Inc, said in a statement. “We are excited to take advantage of our relationship with our new sister company VH1 to present a special edition of this sensational series and bring in this passionate and robust fanbase. It’s the latest example of how we can leverage our combined portfolio to provide new experiences for our audience.”
Season 12 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will debut Friday, Feb. 28 at 8/7c on VH1. This installment will feature guest judges like Nicki Minaj, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Robyn, Leslie Jones, Normani, Daisy Ridley, Winnie Harlow and Jeff Goldblum.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” are produced by World of Wonder Productions with Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, Steven Corfe, Mandy Salangsang and RuPaul Charles serving as executive producers. Tim Palazzola serves as executive producer and Jen Passovoy serves as producer.