“It’s like a gay Sophie’s choice,” insists Michelle Visage, producer and permanent judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” when asked to choose one highlight from Season 16 that speaks to the heart of the show. For our recent webchat she adds, “It’s like when people ask me to pick a favorite queen, you can’t do that. I think there’s so many special moments that happen on different levels.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
SEE Exclusive Video Interview: Tom Campbell (‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ producer).
From its humble beginnings back in 2008 as a mini-budget niche reality competition for drag queens, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has become a hugely successful and influential pop culture sensation. It loudly and proudly celebrates drag culture for a worldwide audience and is a powerful, sought-after platform for queer artists globally. And it has spawned numerous spin-offs and international shows, with the original series having won 29 Emmys, including five for Best Competition Program and eight for host RuPaul Charles as Best Reality Host. For the show’s 16th season, 14 brand-new contestants were put through their paces, competing for $200,000 and bragging rights as America’s Next Drag Superstar. The Top 3 (Nymphia Wind, Sapphira Cristál and Plane Jane) battled for the crown during the April 19 grand finale, with Nymphia claiming an emphatic victory.
Visage has been a producer and permanent judge on the series from the get-go, so she is one of the core original team that has seen first hand how the show emerged into a TV powerhouse. The producer/performer also seems to genuinely appreciate how far the show has come, and what it means to the LGBTQIA+ community. “The beauty of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ is being able to share these stories and these experiences, these queer experiences that would mostly get glazed over because the general population wouldn’t give them the time and the platform that they deserve,” she says, adding that “it’s the biggest platform in the world for drag and for queer performers.” In addition to her producing and judging duties, Visage also hosts passion project “Whatcha Packin’,” a one-on-one short-form online talk show that offers a genuinely revealing glimpse into the queens’ stories. “It’s almost like a little mini therapy session,” she explains, “but at the same time, it’s also getting to know them and what their experience was like going through the ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ machine.”
PREDICT the 2024 Emmy nominees through July 17
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