Season 18 of RuPaul’s Drag Race kicked off with RuPaul saying, “Let there be light!” And that’s an appropriate tagline, because that show is practically keeping the lights on at MTV.
New viewership data shows that Season 18 was the biggest one yet, even though some diehard fans have been complaining about it online.
RPDR Season 18 is the highest-rated season ever
The latest season of Drag Race wrapped last week with MykI Meeks crowned America’s Next Drag Superstar. Of course, some fans are not on board with that decision, but it really doesn’t matter. She’s $200,000 richer, and Drag Race is still getting more popular every day.
According to a new report from Deadline, Season 18 of Drag Race saw a double-digit increase in the coveted P18-49 demographic when compared to Season 17. The show jumped of 9% in rating (0.564 vs. 0.472) and 7% in share (2.43 vs. 2.27), landing it among the top three cable series in that demo.
The season also opened with record-breaking viewership, so the audience held tight through the entire run. In other words, all of that online discourse about Season 18’s questionable production choices, lack of drama, and inconsistent judging criteria didn’t stop folks from tuning in every Friday.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Drag Race continued to trend on social media each week, too. RuPaul’s Drag Race earned 291 million views and 12.5 million engagements throughout the season. At least ten million of those engagements were probably Jane Don’t fans, screaming into the void about her shocking elimination.
With numbers like these, it’s no surprise that rumors are already swirling about the Season 19 cast. Plus, World of Wonder just announced the cast for RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 11. That premieres next month.
And if that’s not enough drag, the first-ever Drag Race movie, Stop! That! Train!, hits theaters in June with a handful of Drag Race alums leading the cast. It’s all proof that even after all of these years, the franchise still has plenty of gas in the tank.
RuPaul’s Drag Race is streaming on Paramount+.
TELL US – ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT DRAG RACE VIEWERSHIP IS STILL GROWING? WHAT CHANGES WOULD YOU MAKE AHEAD OF SEASON 19?
