RuPaul’s Drag Race has a new TV rival as first drag king reality competition announced

After years of RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni begging the show’s producers to cast a drag king, they’ve been beaten to it: the first ever drag king reality TV competition is coming in 2025.

King of Drag will be hosted by trans actor, comedian and New York City drag king legend Murray Hill, and will feature eight of America’s best drag kings battling it out to be named the titular King of Drag.

The drag stars will compete in challenges and get to show their “unique talents including comedy, unconventional performances, and timely commentary on masculinity, which has been part of the drag king subculture for decades,” according to a statement.

“In each episode, we will learn more about the individual king’s backstory, what motivates them, and their goals for kinging.”

The first season, which will have six episodes, will air in Spring 2025 on LGBTQ+ streaming platform Revry.

In the statement, Revry confirmed that King of Drag will not “rehash” the formats currently used on other drag contests like RuPaul’s Drag Race and Dragula, and will instead be an “original” set up.

“King of Drag is one of the most ambitious original programs we’ve ever developed… We’re going to give the drag competition format a run for its money and give audiences something fresh and original,” said Chrisopher J. Rodriguez, the co-founder of Revry.

Speaking about his role as host, Hill said it was “long overdue” that drag kings got a platform on TV to share their talents and their stories.

“I’m so excited to be working with Revry as the host of King of Drag,” he told Variety.

“I started performing in 1995, so it’s long overdue for the kings to take center stage. This vibrant community deserves to be in the spotlight, and I’ll be their biggest hype man. I can’t wait to work with the kings and introduce them to the biggest audience possible, thanks to Revry. That’s showbiz.”

Casting auditions for the show are open now until 5 January, with applicants asked to submit an audition video tape and drag resume.

There have long been calls for the world’s biggest drag reality series, Drag Race, to cast drag kings across its franchises, with contestants including Victoria Scone, Bimini, and Kyran Thrax all asking for the show’s production company World of Wonder to make the change.

Yet despite becoming more open to different types of drag performers in recent times – only in the past few years have fans seen cisgender women or bearded queens on Drag Race – the show has failed to cast a single drag king.

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