Michelle Visage reveals which gay icon has devastatingly turned down Drag Race more than 10 times
Michelle Visage has revealed there’s one icon who has turned down requests to guest star on RuPaul’s Drag Race repeatedly.
Drag Race boasts an enviable alumni of A-list celebrity guest stars, including Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj and Khloe Kardashian.
But there is one star the show has never been able to convince.
“Just to let everybody know we have asked Dolly Parton for 11, 12, 13 years,” Visage revealed, per HuffPost.
“At the end of the day it’s scheduling, and it’s a very long day for these people.”
And Dolly isn’t the only one. Visage mentioned several other LGBT+ icons that Drag Race have tried and failed to get on the show.
“To just calm everybody down,” she continued, “We do ask Cher, we do ask Madonna, we do ask Liza, we do ask Dolly, we ask everybody, and scheduling is always the conflict.
“It took years to get Gaga, but we got her.”
Michelle Visage would love to see Madonna, Adele or Victoria Beckham guest judge.
January marks the start of an unprecedented torrent of Drag Race, with season 13 airing in the US and season two of Drag Race UK set to begin imminently.
Both new runs boast an impressive lists of guests. Season 13 in the US will feature Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson, Cynthia Erivo and Nicole Byer. Erivo and Byer will be guest judges, along with Loni Love, Ts Madison and Jamal Sims.
Season two of Drag Race UK also has a star-studded line up, including Dawn French, Maya Jama and Jessie Ware as guest judges. Other confirmed judges this season will include Elizabeth Hurley, Lorraine Kelly, Sheridan Smith, MNEK and Jourdan Dunn.
Both new seasons will – of course – have Michelle Visage on the permanent panel of judges.
Visage also mentioned in the interview who she would like to see guest judge on the show, naming Madonna, Victoria Beckham and Adele.
Dolly Parton was recently interviewed by RuPaul in Marie Claire, where she hit her with possibly the shadiest read of all time.
After the recent release of the US Drag Race on Netflix, Drag Race UK will return to BBC Three on 14 January.