It’s official: Drag Race is coming to Africa. The very first African-based iteration of the hit global franchise, RuPaul’s Drag Race, has been announced for the continent with Drag Race South Africa, Blavity’s Shadow and Act has confirmed.
WOW Presents Plus has officially greenlit the series, which will be produced by World of Wonder. The series will air worldwide, including locally in South Africa, on the primarily drag content-powered streamer from the makers of Drag Race. Casting will begin in 2025.
As World of Wonder states, Drag Race South Africa “will feature a brand-new cast of queens sashaying on to the mainstage and bringing with them their unique style, talent and culture.”
Fans have asked for a Drag Race set in Africa for years, dating as far back as to the first season of the mothership U.S. version, which crowned BeBe Zahara Benet, who made her Cameroonian heritage (and her overall African heritage) a focal point of her drag, as winner.
Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, World of Wonder co-founders, said in a statement: “We have seen a host of gorgeous, talented queens hailing from across Africa grace the runway over the years, so now it’s time for a unique version from South Africa that includes the incredible talent the continent has to offer. It’s no secret that our mission is to see Drag Race in every continent and country across the world, so this is a huge step in making that a reality.”
WOW Presents Plus, which airs all international versions of Drag Race for U.S. versions, will now have three Drag Race iterations as an original series for global audiences– Drag Race Mexico, Drag Race Thailand and now, Drag Race South Africa. Drag Race Mexico Season 2, the first season of that series to air exclusively on WOW Presents Plus, saw a 40 percent increase in viewership after becoming a WOW Presents Plus exclusive, the streamer states.
Drag Race South Africa is the 15th international version of Drag Race following RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Canada’s Drag Race, Drag Race Down Under, Drag Race Phillippines, Drag Race España, Drag Race France, Drag Race Thailand, Drag Race Mexico and Drag Race Brasil, as well as several others which have not had new seasons announced yet– Drag Race Holland, Drag Race Sverige, Drag Race Belgique, Drag Race Italia and Drag Race Germany
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