To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser that supports HTML5video As drag queens fight to protect this age-old art form from an onslaught of attacks, RuPaul’s Drag Race creator Fenton Bailey has one message: They’re not going anywhere. Few could have predicted the heights the Drag Race franchise would reach when it first aired on Logo TV in 2009. Created by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato and helmed by the inimitable RuPaul – the show has skyrocketed in popularity over the past 15 years.
‘There’s very few moments in your life where you know “my life has changed”. When Randy and I met Ru, it was clear that things would be different,’ Fenton told Metro.co.
uk . The main US series, which recently celebrated its 16th season, is now a mainstay on MTV while the series boasts several spin-offs including All Stars, multiple international versions and three Drag conventions aka Drag Cons. Now the show is well known for launching the careers of global stars from Jinkx Monsoon , who has since appeared on Broadway and Doctor Who , to Bob the Drag Queen who opened for Madonna on her Celebration Tour.
Just to name a few. Not too shabby for an LGBTQ+ series that was not only rejected by major networks but had its start on a few ‘trestle tables’, a tiny studio and a corridor standing in as a green room, as Fenton recalled. ‘It’s amazing to go from that lack of resources to a bigger budget and proper studio.
But at the same tim.