RuPaul has become synonymous with one of the flashiest facets of society, the ever-dramatic and fierce drag queen. Since 2009, RuPaul has made it his mission to share this amazing phenomenon and his own story with the world on his hit reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race, bringing these drag artists out of the theatre and into our living rooms and creating pop culture icons in the process. Here are the 40 of the fiercest queens to grace Mama Ru’s stage and make a home in our hearts. Whether they sashayed away or shantayed to stay, they’ve endeared fans all over the world and created successful careers.
#1 – Bianca Del Rio
This “hunty” is one of the fiercest of all time. Performing drag since 1996, she’s made a name for herself as one of the most prominent and successful artists in the industry. After winning Season 6 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, she capitalized on drag performance and took it to unprecedented levels. Her iconic phrase “Not today, Satan” is used every day throughout the world, a testament to her brilliance and how far-reaching her career has been.
From several self-written comedic performances to her book Blame It on Bianca Del Rio: The Expert on Nothing with an Opinion on Everything, her journey is far from over. She can be found performing for fans, writing witty one-liners on Twitter, and savagely taking down the competition. She was named the number one “most powerful drag queen in America” by New York magazine, and is worth over $4,000,000. Condragulations, Bebe!