The Mama Ru seal of approval!
Michelle Visage was officially confirmed earlier this year to replace RuPaul as the new host of Drag Race Down Under. While it made perfect sense that Visage would take over Down Under for Mama Ru, a few questions remained within the fandom — questions like when, how, and why did this happen?
"Ru has a massive, no. 1 best-selling book and had a book tour… and [it] wasn't even a conversation!" Visage explained on the UK talk show Loose Women. "He just said, 'You're gonna do this, right?' I was like, 'Well, yes, I am!'"
When asked about whether she's feeling any pressure to follow in the footsteps of her longtime friend and collaborator, Visage explained, "You know… now, weirdly. I feel like people are going to compare, and it's not fair, because Ru is Ru, and I am myself. [But] that's going to happen no matter what."
"I just have to focus on what I'm there to do," she continued, "which is: help those kids be the best that they can be, shine, and give them the critique that they deserve… good or bad."
Later in the interview, Visage talked about having "zero" idea that the Drag Race franchise would have this significant of a pop culture impact in the world.
"You can't know that," she explained. "When you set out on a show, whether you're acting, singing, performing, [or] presenting, you hope it's going to be the next big thing. You hope it's going to last 15 [seasons]. You all have been here forever as well. So, it's a gift, [but] you never know."
Visage added, "Sometimes I've done shows where I'm like, 'Oh, this is it. This is the award winner.' And it's gone in a week. You just don't know."
The official news of RuPaul being replaced with Visage on Down Under was initially reported by Entertainment Weekly's Joey Nolfi. The announcement included a statement from Ru that read as follows:
"It has been my great honor to bring Drag Race to Australasia. I can't wait to see the franchise continue to flourish under the leadership of the incredible Michelle Visage."
We're excited to see how the fourth season of Drag Race Down Under will play out!
The first three seasons of Drag Race Down Under are available for streaming on WOW Presents Plus.