Drag Race Philippines becomes RuPaul's first franchise show with 2 trans women as permanent judges

May we call you her-storic? RuPaul's Drag Race Philippines just broke new ground for the global franchise, becoming the series' first spin-off to feature two trans women as permanent judges.

After EW broke news that Drag Race season 4 and All Stars 6 alum Jiggly Caliente had joined the series as a main judge, production company World of Wonder unveiled Wednesday that multi-hyphenate entertainer KaladKaren will sit on the panel as well.

"The future is TRANS. [Kerri Colby] flicked her fingers n made 2 trans women main judges on a franchise," Jiggly tweeted after the announcement. "[KaladKaren] brings such a richness in knowledge of the Philippines drag industry to [the] table that I'm excited for you all to see. This is GIRL POWER."

In a tweet of her own, KaladKaren added: "Two trans women on the judging panel of #DragRacePH! Let's take up space! THE TIME IS NOW!!!! Mabuhay ang mga LGBTQIA+ Filipinos!"

Jiggly and KaladKaren — who rose to prominence by impersonating Filipino journalist Karen Davila — will sit on a panel presided over by Drag Race Philippines head judge and host Paolo Ballesteros, who is well known in the country as a TV host, actor, and beauty expert.

Jiggly's addition to the panel makes her the latest in a growing number of Drag Race alums fronting international editions of the series, with season 11 finalist Brooke Lynn Hytes currently presiding over the Canada's Drag Race panel and season 12 graduate Nicky Doll heading up the table on Drag Race France.

Fellow Drag Race queen Manila Luzon also has a Filipino drag show called Drag Den on deck, which she will lead when it premieres in the near future.

"When I went to the Philippines several years ago, I was amazed by the talent and dedication that these queens put into the art form of drag. I tried everything I could to help showcase and shine a spotlight on them," Manila previously told EW of the show. "I'm excited that we're going to create an opportunity similar to [what] RuPaul and World of Wonder have given to me. I'm so excited to be able to give back in some way. In the Philippines, the drag scene is still quite small and underground, so I'm excited to bring it to the forefront. Hopefully, they'll have a similar journey that I've had and that the rest of us queens have had [and] we'll take over the world, one little island at a time!"

Drag Race Philippines premieres Aug. 17 on WOW Presents Plus.

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