Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will be a guest judge on Drag Race Season 12 and no, we’re not ok
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Drag Race Season 12 as a guest judge. (WoW)
Drag Race has announced its slate of guest judges for the upcoming Season 12, with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez(!) joining Jeff Goldblum, Whoopi Goldberg, Robyn and countless other queer icons.
A new teaser for Drag Race Season 12 introduces Ocasio-Cortez as she “pledges allegiance to the drag” and invites viewers to “join the RuVulution”.
The Democrat joins a long, impressive list of guest judges for Season 12, including the previously-announced Nicki Minaj.
Whoopi Goldberg, Chaka Khan, Jeff Goldblum, Robyn and Normani will all take turns behind the judges’ table, along with Westworld actor Thandie Newton, comic Leslie Jones and Star Wars’ Daisy Ridley.
?️??? @AOC joins the Ruvolution! ???️?#DragRace premieres 2/28 at 8/7c on @VH1! pic.twitter.com/lH8TDTtWSy
— RuPaul’s Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) February 13, 2020
Rounding out the slate is Crazy Ex-Girlfriend creator Rachel Bloom, Mean Girls stars Daniel Franzese (Damien) and Jonathan Bennett (Aaron Samuels), actor Olivia Munn and model Winnie Harlow.
The ridiculously starry Season 12 guest judge line-up grabbed the internet’s full attention, with the inclusion of Ocasio-Cortez leaving fans gagging.
.@AOC going on Drag Race pic.twitter.com/6GBlq9HwXz
— José Alonso Muñoz (@munozjose) February 13, 2020
Begrudgingly watching the new season of Drag Race because Chaka Khan, Robyn and AOC are all guest judges pic.twitter.com/Pa7vhafFsO
— ✨ Dean Tāne ✨ (@Maccadaynu) February 13, 2020
normani and nicki on drag race pic.twitter.com/Z3fPt5UxGJ
— sebas (@saintseb24) February 13, 2020
Robyn and Normani appearing behind the judges’ table had many perched for some iconic lip-syncs.
DANCING ON MY OWN LIP SYNC IN DRAG RACE FINALLY COMING pic.twitter.com/SecNXlSrgl
— Carlos Alfredo. (@alfreneszi) February 13, 2020
Normani is going to be on drag race y’all. a win for the gays and a win for the promo cause this is going to get her name more out, hopefully they perform Motivation or the lead single pic.twitter.com/w1Ew1WzNE8
— sebas✨ (@kordeimani_) February 13, 2020
The Season 12 guest judge announcement was accompanied by a full trailer which gave fans their first proper look at the upcoming episodes.
RuPaul has given the season a red white and blue theme, promising to “defend the US of shade”.
A “groundbreaking” twist is teased, with Ru promising that the season will be “so groundbreaking, it will go down in her story”.
It has already been confirmed that the season premiere, like that of Season 6, will be split into two.
The first batch of queens will enter the week room on Friday, February 28, with the remainder introduced a week later on March 6.
A total of 13 queens will compete for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar.
A mix of fashion, pageant, comedy and campy queens, the Drag Race Season 12 cast includes a number of firsts: a “J-pop” queen, a French-born queen and an Iranian-Canadian queen.
Already the season has been mired in controversy, with several members of the Drag Race royal family criticising the continued exclusion of trans queens.
Two of the Season 12 queens have also come under fire after resurfaced posts showed the defending RuPaul’s right to deny trans queens.
