MTV renews RuPaul's Drag Race for Season 19, Paramount+ orders All Stars Season 12

Renewals and Emmy recognition

MTV has picked up RuPaul's Drag Race for Season 19 alongside its companion aftershow RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked, which returns for Season 18. Paramount+ has ordered RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars for Season 12 and RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked for Season 9. All four series are produced by World of Wonder Productions. The renewals arrive as the franchise celebrates 11 Emmy nominations, with host RuPaul Charles earning his record-extending 11th consecutive nomination for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program. RuPaul's Drag Race has won the Emmy for best reality competition program five times, though the category's dominance shifted to The Traitors beginning in 2024. The pickups come as Emmy voting gets underway.

Season 18 ratings and winner

The most recent season of the flagship series delivered double-digit growth over the previous season and set a new franchise premiere viewership record. Season 18 was up 19% in the P18-49 rating (0.564 versus 0.472) and up 7% in P18-49 share (2.43 versus 2.27). The season ranked among the Top 3 cable series in 2026 to date in the key demographic. Myki Meeks took home the crown, becoming the newest drag superstar. Guest judges during the season included Cardi B, Teyana Taylor, and Benny Blanco.

All Stars Tournament format

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars concluded its 11th season on Paramount+ in July 2026. Crystal Methyd earned the title and became the first person of Mexican descent to win the mainstay series. The season employed the Tournament of All Stars format, bringing together returning queens to compete for a coveted spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame. It featured the franchise's first all-disco Lip Sync Smackdown for the Crown and welcomed guest judges Kate Hudson, La Toya Jackson, and Reneé Rapp to the panel.

Voices from the franchise

Judge and executive producer Michelle Visage told The Hollywood Reporter that Drag Race reclaiming the best reality competition series Emmy this year would carry particular weight given the current political climate. She described a potential win as a statement about the franchise's continued presence.

I think it would be a championship in a way that voices are being heard without saying things. It's a statement without saying it's a statement, do you know what I mean? Especially with what's going on in the political climate. But, we are grateful just being in that class of people that we're in; being nominated, being included, being thought of is truly an honor. We spread the love. We're still celebratory, but if we did [win], it's definitely a 'We're not going anywhere' type of statement.

World of Wonder, the production company behind all four series, marked the franchise's longevity in a statement.

Nearly twenty years later, what began as a dream has become an extraordinary global movement. We owe endless thanks to our partners at MTV and Paramount+, along with every queen, judge, crew member, and fan who has built RuPaul's Drag Race. Drag brings people together in powerful ways - and we are honored to keep celebrating new voices and sharing iconic moments with the world.