With 13 seasons and counting plus various spinoffs and international editions, RuPaul's Drag Race continues to be one of the most popular reality TV competitions around. One of the most rewarding aspects of the competition is how the high-profile winners turn their celebrity into bigger careers once the series concludes.
In the past, many of the most beloved contestants have parlayed their triumphs on the show into wildly successful vocations in the entertainment industry. Others have unfortunately fallen by the wayside. As fans wait for the official premiere date of season 14, now is the perfect opportunity to check in on some of the winning personalities of RuPaul's Drag Race.
Despite winning well over a decade ago, BeBe Zahara Benet has been enjoying an extremely busy last two years or so. The iconic Midwestern RuPaul's Drag Race queen and singer/model bested the competition by routinely winning challenges and exuding an infectiously positive attitude en route to being named season 1's Next Drag Superstar.
Nowadays, BeBe is the subject of the 90-minute documentary Being BeBe, released on June 19, 2021. Directed by Emily Branham, the doc chronicles BeBe's inspiring rise to fame after winning the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race. In the past year, BeBe has also appeared on the series Dragnificent! and music videos for her songs "Banjo" and "Body on Me."
Until Aquaria eclipsed the feat in 2018, Tyra Sanchez held the record for being the youngest champion (21 at the time) in Drag Race herstory. Tyra beat out the competition by avoiding the dreaded Lip Sync for Your Life battle and outperforming Raven in the finale.
After appearing in drag on several shows throughout the 2010s, Tyra, real name James Ross, announced that he was quitting drag in 2019 (per In Magazine) and no longer wish to be called by his former drag name or associated with RuPaul's Drag Race, much to the dismay of his loyal fans. Disavowing social media (for the most part), Tyra is now spending a quiet domestic life as a father of two and a devout Christian.
Season 3 winner Raja continues to demonstrate his star power over a multitude of projects. In addition to releasing a single and music video for the track "MoodBored" — one of the best songs recorded by RuPaul's Drag Race queens — in 2019 and "Shoes - The Reboot" in 2021 (which she produced), Raja has appeared in videos for fellow artists Adam Lambert, Erasure (2020), and more.
Moreover, Raja recently started a podcast with fellow queen Delta Work called Very That, including a new episode event in October that she is promoting on Instagram. As for his Drag Race ties, Raja last made an appearance on the show in 2019 and The Pit Stop aftershow in 2021.
As one of the more successful singers to compete on the show, season 4 winner Sharon Needles continues to live the life of a Gothic glam-rock star. She helped redefine notions of beauty during her winning run by going against convention and embracing an "ugly drag" appearance.
Nowadays, Sharon Needles continues to make music, including the track "Lift Them Up 2020" with fellow artists Greko, Debbie Harry, and others. In addition to becoming the face of Serv Vodka in 2021, Sharon will be a participant in the 2022 documentary All Stars, which chronicles the evolution of drag.
Season 5 winner Jinkx Monsoon shook up the competition by becoming the first of three comedic queens to prove that glamour and walkway strutting isn't the only way to strike a chord with viewers. Between her humor and degree in theatrical performance, Jinkx continues to stay in the spotlight.
Most recently, Jinkx has lent her voice to various characters on the animated series Helluva Boss, made a 2021 appearance on The Pit Stop, and starred in a short comedy video entitled Jinkx on Jinkx Action. Up next, Jinkx has a holiday show tour lined up with fellow queen Ben DeLaCreme spanning from Nov. 13 to Dec. 30, 2021.
With her commanding performance as a theater actor, Bianco Del Rio dusted the competition by winning three challenges convincingly to be named the victor of season 6. It's no surprise that Bianca continues to keep many creative irons in the fire.
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In addition to participating in the 2021-2022 "Unsanitized Tour" comedy ecent, Bianca has been cast as Hugo/Loco Chanelle in the U.K. tour of the theatrical play Everybody's Talking About Jamie, a coming-of-age tale about a 16-year-old drag queen. Even cooler, Bianca made a cameo appearance as Miss Haylock in the 2021 big-screen adaptation of the play.
Following a couple of seasons of comedic shenanigans, Violet Chachki won season 7 by restoring the vintage glamorous luster to the Drag Race runway. Since snatching the crown that season, Violet has continued a career modeling for burlesque fashion lines among other endeavors.
In 2021, Violet has appeared as herself on the reality series Exposed, released a single and music video entitled "What Violet Wants," as well as a new track with Allie X called "Mistress Violet." Most recently, Violet started a new podcast entitled No Gorg with Gottmik, one of RuPaul's Drag Race's most iconic Los Angeles queens.
As someone who was inspired to participate by watching the show for years, Bob the Drag Queen proved to be a shrewd operator who knew how to navigate the rules and challenges ahead of his win in season 8. As one of New York's most iconic RuPaul's Drag Race queens, he did everything right and could not be denied the crown.
Due to well-rounded performances and bubbly personality, Bob has parlayed her outsized personality into a legitimate acting career. After landing recurring roles in Tales of the City and Heads Will Roll in 2019 and 2020, Bob hit the big time by being cast the hilarious Busty Bazoongas in Lucifer in 2021.
Although she won only two challenges during the show, Sasha Velour beat out the stiff competition of Peppermint, Shae, and Trinity to be crowned champion of RuPaul's Drag Race season 9. Since competing, Sasha has appeared on several TV shows including The Bold Type and Broad City.
However, the most important project Sasha has been a part of is NightGowns, a theatrical stage show she created and adapted into a short TV series for Quibi in 2020. While NightGowns The Musical continues to tour the globe, Velour also hopes to announce postponed dates for Smoke Mirrors, her first solo live theater show touring 24 cities around the world.
As one of the most recent winners, it's no surprise that Aquaria continues to bask in the limelight. The dominance he displayed by winning more challenges than any other contestant at age 21 leaves no question about who deserved to walk away victoriously.
Since winning in 2018, Aquaria has appeared on the reality TV internet series Werq the World, On/Off, Drag Queens React, and more, often discussing drag culture. In addition to boasting a healthy Instagram following, Aquaria has recently appeared in music videos for such artists as Kim Petras, Waze & Oddysey, and Brooke Candy.
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