Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
2020 was a year that we would all really like to forget, but there’s one part of this awful year that gave us memories we’ll cherish forever: all the drag. We all thought 2019 was the year drag broke out? 2020 said, “Put on some gloves and a face mask and hold my cocktail but do not drink out of it oh my god.” Not only did we get 36 straight weeks of Drag Race content from four headlining Drag Race competition shows, we also got spinoffs (Secret Celebrity and Vegas Revue!) and guest appearances from drag queens all over the media landscape. Every new streaming service seemed to launch with drag or drag-adjacent content in the mix, like the next-level Legendary on HBO Max and Sasha Velour’s breathtaking Night Gowns on Quibi (RIP).
This was a year of drag excellence, which is wild considering how much adversity we all had to endure. But if anything, this year just cemented the fact that drag queens are the toughest, most persistent and tenacious performers working today. They will work and werk no matter the situation—and they’ll fight for what’s right while turning the (digital) party.
There was truly so much drag this year, but these are the moments that made 2020 a year we’ll never forget… in a good way. In a mostly good way.
January 10: 'AJ and the Queen' arrives
We shoulda known from the jump that 2020 was going to be a record year for drag on TV when it started with the release of RuPaul’s very own scripted Netflix dramedy. AJ and the Queen didn’t last long (it was canceled after one season, like seemingly 90% of Netflix’s output), but it did give speaking roles to dozens of Drag Race queens and give us the joy of watching Jane Krakowski disco dance with RuPaul.
February 28: America meets Heidi N Closet
Every season of Drag Race gives us a breakout star whose personality is richer than their wardrobe. The irresistible Heidi N Closet was that queen this year, with her southern drawl and underdog spirit. What she lacked in expensive lewks she more than made up for in the one thing money cannot buy: charisma. Heidi was a champion every single week, delivering the kind of LOL moments that make a queen legendary. Just watch that highlight reel if you ever need a pick-me-up.
March 1: Trixie and Katya watch Netflix's 'Glow Up'
Do I even need to write anything here? If you haven’t watched Trixie and Katya react to Netflix’s make-up competition series Glow Up, drop everything and get to it, Brenda. It’s hilarious from beginning to end, watching these seasoned, professional, glamourous divas watch MUAs try their hand at drag makeup. This video is also a crucial drag text in 2020, because it laid the foundation for an entire year’s worth of memes and shoutouts to one particular icon of icons.
This is also the moment where Trixie and Katya met the love of their lives: Val Garland’s catchphrase “ding…dong.” It’s a phrase so nice that Katya wrote a whole song about it.
March 20: Drag goes digital
2020 is gonna be forever known as our collective gap year—or maybe that sounds like too much fun? It’s our collective Nightmare Hellscape Year, but at least there was a lot of drag! With venues and bars closed and all the conventions canceled, drag queens did what they do best: they made it work. Within days of the shut down dominos falling across the country, queens from everywhere got busy—from Drag Race stars like Alaska and Willam to local girls all over the country. The divas turned Instagram, Twitch, YouTube, Zoom, and other video streaming platforms in stages and entertained the masses (and get the tips they need to survive). This necessity actually made drag more accessible than ever before, without the late hours, city limits, or age restrictions keeping people away. 2020 proved that drag is life, and we all know life finds a way.
April 1: AOC joins the 'Drag Race' judges' panel
As Drag Race’s popularity grows, the show has worked overtime to compel its increasingly teen-skewing audience to—in the words of Shea Coulee—vote, bitch. Truthfully, the show’s performed this civic duty during every election cycle, but the increasingly apocalyptic nature of 2020 made this year’s election the most important one in our lifetime. Enter: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the coolest, most unflinching person in politics at this very moment—who’s also a Drag Race superfan. Her arrival on the show, and the Untucked that followed, was exactly the energy we needed this year.
April 23: Shangela gives birth to Miss Honey Grace
RuPaul’s Drag Race is only a small part of the story of drag in 2020—and there was a lot of Drag Race. But this year saw the launch of a lot of new drag shows headlined by Drag Race alums, including HBO’s Emmy-nominated docu-series We’re Here. This show stripped drag of the glitz and glamour and drama of a reality-competition series and showed the art form as it exists in the real world, as transformative performance art. Yes that art involves killer heels and death-defying moves, but all that is in service to the LGBTQ+’s community to be seen, heard, and respected. Every episode of We’re Here put a spotlight on the queer communities that exist in small towns across America, and few stars shone as brightly as Shangela’s first drag daughter. When Hunter—a.k.a. Miss Honey Grace—made her debut, she’d lost all her doubt and was truly ready for the main stage.
May 11: 'Dragnificent!' makes over a literal drag mom
Alongside We’re Here, TLC’s Dragnificent! made its series debut after a pilot special last year. This show was the perfect companion piece to We’re Here, proving that there is more than one way to do a drag makeover show. Dragnificent! was consistently a joy and the definition of a comfort watch, but it also had its waterworks moments. The standout storyline from the season involved a college professor who didn’t know how to handle having a son who wanted to be a drag queen. Jujubee, Thorgy Thor, BeBe Zahara Benet, and Alexis Michelle turned her around and helped her turn out a look in time for her son’s debut performance as Veronica Fatale. And, in a moment that will make every gay’s inner child cry, she even gave him the high heels he so coveted as a kid.
May 12: Peppermint and Bob the Drag Queen address racism
Drag is inherently political, and you better believe the queens acted up in 2020 (a.k.a. the most consequential year of our lives). So many queens spoke out and volunteered this year, but the work of Bob the Drag Queen and Peppermint stands out because of how persistent and consistent they were all year long. They started by directly addressing the racism that festers in the Drag Race viewing audience (to call them fans is to disrespect actual fans) in May, in an essential conversation that touched on the much larger and pervasive issue of police brutality. Their work continued all the way to the election, where they both displayed epic patience by talking to Trump supporters. These two are superheroes.
June 12: Shea Couleé and Alyssa Edwards do the Neutron Dance
In any other year, the lip sync assassin twist in All Stars 5 would’ve been the gag of the year. In 2020? Well, it makes this list, at least. Whether or not the assassin bit’s worth keeping around for All Stars 6 is another convo; what we’re talking about right now is how this setup gave us a lip sync showdown between Alyssa Edwards and Shea Coulee. Drag Race giveth!
July 3: India, Alexis, Eartha, Flava, Vanjie, Madonna—the entire "Snatch Game of Love" episode
The absolute best episode of any RuPaul’s Drag Race progrum this year was, without a doubt, All Stars 5’s “Snatch Game of Love” episode. Just behold the nonstop iconic moments!
- Alexis Mateo reigniting the community’s love for Walter Mercado just before a Netflix doc dropped—is Alexis psychic?!
- Jujubee finally doing Eartha Kitt justice and turning “sensible 74 degrees” into one of the year’s best drag memes.
- Shea Coulee winning the week with her performance as a… socially-conscious Flava Flav?!
- India Ferrah starting the drag drama of the year by saying that Alexis was campaigning against Shea!
- Shea being like, “Thank you for telling me. HEY EVERYBODY! INDIA SAID—!”
- Vanessa Vanjie Mateo crashing the party as the week’s assassin just as her drag mom is at her lowest point!
- Shea Coulee doing such an emotive job lip syncing to Madonna that it inspires some of the most artistic camera work from the Drag Race crew!
Give this episode the Emmy.
July 24: Those 'All-Stars' finale runway looks!
Every single queen served in the finale runway, but the top 3? In looks inspired by their heritage (did they plan that?!), Miz Cracker, Jujubee, and Shea Coulee each made a solid case for being this year’s queen of queens. Truly, all three of these jaw-dropping looks were worth a win.
July 30: The Celine Dion lip sync between Kiara and Priyanka
If you don’t bring passion to a Celine Dion lip sync, what are you even doing? This is a performer who proudly beats her chest while singing about historical boat disasters. You bring the heat when Celine is on! And in Canada’s Drag Race, Kiara and Priyanka delivered in this high-octane lip sync to “I Drove All Night.” Kiara gave athleticism, with kicks and flips that were in sync with her passionate performance. And Priyanka gave levels and emotion, showing off her signature, gutsy lip sync style for the first time. They both slayed this song. This was the double shantay that should’ve been.
August 27: Jimbo's elimination from 'Canada's Drag Race'
Jimbo was a drag clown maniac from the moment she entered Canada’s Werk Room, wailing in wonder while wearing a bustier and Minnie Mouse ears. Jimbo’s run on Canada’s Drag Race was legendary, cementing her as the undisputed weirdo queen of the entire franchise (if only Tammie Brown had made it to Episode 3 of either of her seasons!). But her farewell moment was peak Jimbo and showed her commitment. Instead of giving a sassy exit line, she fell to the floor screaming and crying, dragging herself off the stage. Her mirror message was full serial killer horror, as she smeared lipstick over her face. Now that was an exit!
November 6: Five reigning queens of color in 2020
As Peppermint and Bob got into, racism is an issue that needs to be addressed in the Drag Race community. This year saw World of Wonder address the problem head on with a PSA that called for fans to stop with the racist death threats. But the franchise also combatted racism in another way: by showcasing drag excellence from so many queens of color. Jaida Essence Hall, Shea Coulee, Priyanka, and Envy Peru snatched crowns and scepters across the globe, from America to Canada and Holland—and every win was legendary. Jaida gave us true pageant queen excellence and showed off her comedy chops while wearing stunning lewks that she made herself. Shea Coulee came back from Season 9’s near-win and absolutely slayed the game with tenacity and an open heart. Priyanka—one of the best talking heads of the year—went from an underdog to the head of the pack, dusting herself off after every stumble and shining brighter each time. And Envy Peru’s excellence and rangewas undeniable from practically the start of Drag Race Holland; she won four challenges ranging from comedy to makeovers to dancing! And the cherry on top? Heidi N Closet coming through with the much-deserved Miss Congeniality win. This was a groundbreaking year.
November 8: Jackie Beat and Sherry Vine on 'Supermarket Sweep'
Drag has been all over TV in 2020, including plenty of shows that aren’t even in RuPaul’s kingdom. For instance, drag legends Jackie Beat and Sherry Vine brought their wacky wit to Supermarket Sweep (much to drag superfan Leslie Jones’ absolute delight). But that’s not all! A Drag Race team showed up on Celebrity Family Feud and made Steve Harvey blush; Alyssa Edwards and Alaska turned lewks on The Bachelorette; BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon spread some holiday cheer in the film Happiest Season; Dusty Ray Bottoms had a cameo on Netflix’s Dash & Lily; Miz Cracker and Jan scarfed down late night snacks on Hulu’s Eater’s Guide to the World; and Monet X Change and Shangela got into historically accurate drags on Lovecraft Country.
And the truth is—I know I’m missing some moments, because drag was everywhere in 2020! Let’s keep that going in 2021, because good god, the world needs it.
