Has RuPaul ditched Drag Race Down Under? - Spy

RuPaul might not make it to New Zealand for the filming of this season of Drag Race Down Under. Photo / Getty Images

Speculation is rife that the world’s biggest mega-drag star RuPaul might not make it to New Zealand for filming of the fourth season of Drag Race Down Under.

Auckland Pride Month gained some extra sparkle among last weekend’s Big Gay Out and other events. Drag queens from both sides of the Tasman are understood to have descended on Auckland on Friday to prepare to film the latest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under.

The RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise is among the most successful reality show businesses in the world, with countless spin-offs, including Drag Race Down Under. Die-hard fans have been lighting up the internet with speculation about the fourth season.

The first season of Down Under was filmed in Auckland in January 2021, and sources tell Spy the series is filming again at studios in Grey Lynn.

LQTBQIA+ websites worldwide have reported RuPaul may be in doubt as the head judge for the season due to a clash with the book tour for his memoir The House of Hidden Meanings, with the American book tour scheduled from early March through April.

RuPaul's book tour dates clashes with Down Under's filming schedule.

The fellow judges of Down Under — rumoured to be RuPaul’s long-time friend and co-judge US entertainer Michelle Visage and Australian comedian Rhys Nicholson — are said to be reprising their roles. Nicholson has two well-timed comedy shows, These Are My Jokes and No Refunds, playing at the Classic Comedy Club next week on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Rhys Nicholson has two well-timed comedy shows playing at the Classic Comedy Club next week on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Photo / Supplied

There has also been heavy speculation Hawaiian drag performer Sasha Kekauoha, best known by the stage name Sasha Colby, may replace RuPaul for this season of Down Under.

Last year, Colby was crowned the winner of the 15th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the second trans woman to win the main series of the franchise. To add fuel to the speculation, Colby posted an Instagram story of herself in an Auckland Airport bathroom on Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday, New Zealand’s LGBTQIA+ media outlet Your Ex — formerly Express — reported sources saying Colby had headed to the Drag Race Down Under set.

“All evidence suggests Ru has been replaced as host by Sasha Colby,” Your Ex said, also reporting that RuPaul was expected to make a cameo during the season.

With not-so-great reviews for the last season of Down Under, Your Ex sources reveal production is said to have taken steps to improve the show’s quality, with bigger budgets for the queens to improve the quality of their looks.

RuPaul’s long-time friend and co-judge US entertainer Michelle Visage is also said to be reprising her role on the show.

Eyes are also peeled for the sparkling guest judges of Down Under.

Past guest judge alumni from the show have included US singing star Adam Lambert, Aussie songstress Delta Goodrem and The White Lotus star Murray Bartlett — not to mention a good representation of Kiwi talent, which has included former supermodel Rachel Hunter and actor Lucy Lawless.