Skip to main content

Start your engines, RuPaul’s Drag Race fans. After years of waiting, Leslie Jones finally joins RuPaul on the judge’s panel for season 12 of this reality competition series. Here’s what we know about her love for this Emmy-award winning television show and the celebrities stopping by for season 12.

Leslie Jones during the 'Saturday Night Live' opening monologue
Leslie Jones during the ‘Saturday Night Live’ opening monologue | Will Heath/NBC

Leslie Jones has been a fan of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ for a few years 

If you’ve been keeping up with this Saturday Night Live actress, chances are, you’ve seen her Drag Race recap tweets from a few years ago. As Leslie Jones watched the latest season of this reality series, fans on social media felt that were watching with her.

“I love watching Leslie jones watch Drag Race lmao she skipped season 7 and 8 and went straight to All-Stars 2 and didn’t know who Ginger Minj was at all,” one Twitter user said.

“I just want to watch all of Leslie Jones’ Drag Race reaction videos, but I’m sitting in a Midas getting my brakes serviced among the straights,” another Twitter user wrote. The comedian first started watching during 2018 and since then, shared her appreciation for drag and the host of the series, RuPaul.

Cast and crew of Outstanding Reality-Competition Program winners for 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
Cast and crew of Outstanding Reality-Competition Program winners for ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ | Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb

RuPaul invited Leslie Jones to appear as a ‘Drag Race’ guest judge

Once news spread of Leslie Jones’ new favorite series, RuPaul invited her personally to be a guest judge on the series. (RuPaul later appeared as the host of Saturday Night Live, doing skits alongside cast members Kate McKinnon and Bowen Yang.)

“Leslie girl, you’ve got to get up on this show. We’ve got your seat ready, honey! You better get up on Drag Race,” RuPaul told Jones during the Access interview. “I know you watching all the show. Leslie Joooooones on the Drag Race!”

Now, almost two years later, that dream is finally coming to fruition. Leslie Jones will be a guest judge on season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. There, she’ll be seated alongside RuPaul herself, helping decide who will “lipsync for their life” this week. 

There are a few other celebrities set for their appearance on this reality television series

So far, season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race brought Robyn and a rap written and performed by Miss Nicki Minaj herself. Other celebrity judges sashaying into this reality series include Whoopi Goldberg, Chaka Khan, Normani, Jeff Goldblum, Daisy Ridley, Thandie Newton, Rachel Bloom, Daniel Franzese, Jonathan Bennett, and Winnie Harlow. 

“Our producers have come up with twisted, outrageous challenges that raise the bar for all competition of reality,” RuPaul said during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “Our celebrity guest judges are truly legendary. And this cast of queens is, dare I say, the most talented we’ve ever had. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, a fresh crop of queens arrives and blows our minds all over again.”

New episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race premiere on a weekly basis on VH1. In the meantime, fans can stream episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked on the WOW Presents YouTube channel.

Best in Entertainment