You didn't think the long-running series was going to go without a little something extra.
Mikelle StreetRuPaul brought in 2021 with an appearance in YouTube's Hello 2021: Americas broadcast. There, the longtime host gave an encouraging word to fans the world over, digging deep into his vault of self-help for some really solid advice. Appearing out of drag, the multi hyphenate toasted to "the past, the present, and to future possibilities." In the nearest future, comes RuPaul's Drag Race season 13.
Premiering later today, Drag Race season 13 will be history-making in its cast — Gottmik is the show's first trans masculine performer. But it was also quite novel in approach, filmed under quarantine guidelines. The latter point caused some — read: us — to fear that the season could go without guest appearances. Now, a new report has cast those doubts aside.
Drag Race season 13 is set to host Cynthia Erivo, Nicole Byer, Loni Love, TS Madison, and Jamal Sims as guest judges according to a report from Deadline. Jamal, a 2020 Out100 honoree, has long been a collaborator on the show and has served as a guest judge before. He was also notably the creative director of the show's Vegas residency, chronicled inRuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue. Madison, a 2019 Out100 honoree, has also long been a friend of the series while Love competed on RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race in 2019. These guests will join the panel alongside Ru, Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, and Ross Matthews.
But those won't be the only celebrity names in the mix: Anne Hathaway and Scarlett Johansson will be a part of interactive video masterclasses while Nina West, Valentina, and Heidi N Closet (former Miss Congeniality winners) will pop in for guest appearances.
Tonight, the show will premiere for the first time on broadcast television. In addition to airing on VH1, it will simulcast on The CW, MTV, MTV2, PopTV, and Logo.
In the New Year's Eve broadcast, Ru encouraged viewers to "grab a glass of something delicious."
"We've all witnessed some major changes in the ways humans live on this planet," he said. "Changes that have really challenged us in ways that we never could have imagined." The longtime host went on to list events like the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter protests, as well as MeToo and more that may have brought us all to a "breaking point."
"Let me assure you that you are equipped to handle it all because you are an alchemist," Ru intoned. "You have the ability to transform things into something better. You have the ability to make miracles. And a miracle is a change in perception — you can do that. You are fully equipped to do this. Your strength, and your survival, is in your ability to adapt."
RELATED | Early Ru-Veal: Every 2021 RuPaul 'Drag Race' Look We've Already Seen
00