‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Renewed by VH1 (EXCLUSIVE)

By Daniel Holloway

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – has ordered a new season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Variety has learned.

The new season of the reality competition will follow the current 10th season, whose finale is scheduled to air June 28.

“After 10 sickening seasons, the Drag Race phenomenon is just getting started,” said executive producer and host RuPaul Charles. “I want to thank VH1 for providing this amazing platform for a whole new generation of super talented drag queens.”

Season 10 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is averaging 794,000 viewers 18-49 in Nielsen live-plus-seven data, and 1.2 million total viewers, making it the most watched season of the series to date. Thursday’s penultimate episode will see the four finalist queens write and perform a verse in a performance of RuPaul’s hit single “American.”

“We are thrilled that ‘Drag Race’ will continue to lead the conversation of inclusion and diversity as the show embarks on its eleventh season,” said Pamela Post, senior VP, original programming and development at VH1. “It’s unprecedented for a show to continue to grow on the scale that ‘Drag Race’ has, and it’s just the beginning.”

VH1 has also renewed Emmy-nominated aftershow “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked” for an additional season.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” is the recipient of four Primetime Emmy Awards, including wins for RuPaul in 2016 and 2017 for outstanding reality host. The series was nominated last year for eight Emmys. VH1’s 2018 Emmy campaign for the show kicked off last week with a costume exhibit in Los Angeles that celebrated the costume designer Zaldy and his creations for RuPaul and the show (pictured below).

Both “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked” are produced by World of Wonder Productions. Executive producers are Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, Steven Corfe, Mandy Salangsang, and RuPaul. Pamela Post and Tim Palazzola serve as executive producers for VH1. Jen Passovoy serves as producer.