On the next season of “Drag Race All Stars,” eight iconic drag queens are not just “serving looks.” They’re also serving their favorite nonprofits.
In a teaser trailer for the upcoming season, host and head judge RuPaul announced that returning drag queens will “compete for a cause that is near and dear to their hearts.”
“Because this season, sisters are doing it for who?” RuPaul teased. “Charity!”
The drag queens slated to compete in the upcoming season include Roxxxy Andrews, Gottmik, Jorgeous, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Plastique Tiara, Angeria Paris VanMicheals, Nina West, and Shannel.
“I’m back and I’m ready to crash this workroom, crash this whole competition, for the love of drag and charity,” said Gottmik, who shared third place on the 13th season of “Drag Race.”
In season nine, the winning contestant will give $200,000 away to a selected charity, through a donation provided by The Palette Fund, which has given over $10 million in grants to charities since its inception in 2008.
Past grantees of The Palette Fund include GLAAD, National LGBT Cancer, The Elton John Aids Foundation, and The Trevor Project.
“Dedicated to advancing social change in communities that are under-resourced and facing significant challenges, the foundation has a particular focus on strengthening the health and leadership of the LGBT community,” said a mission statement on The Palette Fund’s official website.
In addition to raising money for charity, the drag queens also celebrated the art of drag and the positive influence the “Drag Race” franchise has had on viewers in its 15-year run.
“When people watch ‘Drag Race,’ they see individuals living authentically,” Angeria Paris VanMicheals said in the season nine teaser. “‘Drag Race’ is the whole reason why my own parents are completely open-minded.”
Shannel, whose ties to “Drag Race” trace all the way back to season one, said that the impact of the show could not be understated.
“It really helps generations of people, young and old, when you hear the stories of queens, the things that they’ve dealt with in their life and how drag really helped them overcome these things,” said Shannel.
The upcoming season will premiere with two back-to-back episodes on Paramount+ on May 17.
Header images courtesy of Drag Race All Stars/Paramount+
