Where Are The Winners of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Now?
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Over the course of Rupaul’s Drag Race‘s 13 year run, we’ve seen 14 queens be crowned “America’s Next Drag Superstar.” Here’s what happened next to every winner of the popular competition based reality TV show.
1. BeBe Zahara Benet
The very first winner of Rupaul’s Drag Race, Bebe Zahara Benet, had everything a drag queen needed to become successful. Since her victory, Benet has released four EPs, “Face” in 2014, “Kisses & Feathers” in 2017, “Broken English” in 2020, and “The Christmas Chanteuse” in 2021.
2. Tyra Sanchez
The drag queen that was inspired by Beyoncé had run into multiple social media issues since winning season two. Apparently, a Twitter user commented that Tyra Sanchez is annoying, and the drag queen fired back by saying they should kill themselves. More drama ensued afterward when Sanchez created fake obituary for fellow season two competitor Morgan McMichaels.
3. Raja Gemini
Before winning RuPaul’s Drag Race, Raja Gemini was a makeup artist for America’s Next Top Model. Since then she has released several songs including “Diamond Crowned Queen,” that charted on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart. Gemini is a host of Fashion Photo RuView, a web series that ranks and judges contestants’ looks on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
4. Sharon Needles
Sharon Needles is the drag queen that won fans over with her Halloween themed style that is fresh and unique to the show. Needles has released multiple albums, the first being PG-13 in 2013, it reached No. 186 on the Billboard 200. Other albums she released are Taxidermy in 2015 and Battle Axe in 2017. Needles’ past conduct of using racial slurs and imagery has affected her many onstage appearances.
5. Jinkx Monsoon
RuPaul’s Drag Race season five winner Jinkx Monsoon became the subject of a docu-series Drag Becomes Him. Since her win, Monsoon has released two studio albums and was listed as one of “the most powerful drag queens in America” by New York Magazine.
6. Bianca Del Rio
Bianca Del Rio is the fan favorite drag queen who never had to lip sync and never placed in the bottom two. Del Rio published her first book, Blame It On Bianca Del Rio: The Expert On Nothing With An Opinion On Everything in 2018. She also became the first drag queen to headline at Wembley Arena in London.
7. Violet Chachki
Another winner who never landed in the bottom two of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Violet Chachki has dominated the fashion industry since her season seven win. Chachki was able to attend the 2019 Met Gala with designer and friend Jeremy Scott.
8. Bob The Drag Queen
Bob The Drag Queen released the comedy specials Suspiciously Large Woman and Crazy Black Lady in 2017 and 2018 respectively. She is well known today for her TikTok videos, and she has amassed over 2.7 million followers on the platform.
9. Sasha Velour
Sasha Velour made one of the best comeback stories of the show, and showed that persistence and determination pays off. As the drag queen who went from not being selected on season eight to winning it all in season nine, she is incredibly dedicated. Since then, Velour has used her platform to champion for under-represented queer communities.
10. Aquaria
One of the youngest drag queens to have won the show, at 22 years old Aquaria has continued performing and modeling. Aquaria appeared in Vogue, Vogue Italia, W, and Paper, and also attended the 2019 Met Gala and was one of the faces of MAC’s 2019 Viva La Glam campaign. She also became part of a Las Vegas show residency RuPaul’s Drag Race Live!
11. Yvie Oddly
Arguably the most daring and acrobatic of all RuPaul’s Drag Race winners, Yvie Oddly is now an international performer. She is a performer for the multi-year international drag concert Werq the World, and star in her own reality TV show Yvie Oddly ‘s Oddities.
12. Jaida Essence Hall
Jaida Essence Hall pushed through with season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race in the middle of the pandemic without any problems. Since the show, she has starred in numerous web series and was a featured performer in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Fashion Show.
13. Symone
Symone took her stand on season 13 of the show to bring awareness to racial injustice, which the fans of the show admired. Since the show, Symone has attended the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards as well as the 2021 Met Gala.
14. Willow Pill
Willow Pill made history when she won season 14 of the show and became the first disabled or chronically ill person to take home the crown. She’s expressed the desire to travel all over the world and meet the people that inspired her career.
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