Kylie Minogue, Taika Waititi join RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under as guest judges

For years, RuPaul's Drag Race fans haven't been able to get the thought of Kylie Minogue potentially sitting on the show's panel out of their heads, but EW can exclusively reveal that the dream will soon become a reality.

Production company World of Wonder will welcome the pop icon and her sister, Dannii Minogue, as well as Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit filmmaker Taika Waititi to the RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under season 1 panel as guest judges.

"I'm so excited to finally be a part of RuPaul's Drag Race for the first series [of] Down Under," Kylie said in a statement. "It's such an iconic show and I can't wait to watch the contestants perform their hearts out to win the title of Down Under's first Drag Superstar!"

Charlie Gray; World of Wonder; Walt Disney Pictures

The Australian-born pop stars and New Zealand native Waititi are set to make their Main Stage debuts virtually in accordance with COVID safety protocols.

"I got to have a cheeky Untucked chat with the girls on RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under season 1," Dannii said in a statement. "They had come straight from the runway challenge so it was exciting and tense all at the same time, not knowing who was going to have to lip sync for their life!"

Though Kylie has yet to sit on a Drag Race panel, her presence has long been felt across the series; Jasmine Masters and Kennedy Davenport memorably lip-synced to her 2014 hit "I Was Gonna Cancel" on season 7 of the U.S. version of the show, while Drag Race Holland winner Envy Peru wore an outfit inspired by Kylie's signature song "Can't Get You Out of My Head" before winning the Dutch edition's first season.

"Kylie is my ultimate. The first time I saw that video, I knew for sure, okay, I'm a homosexual!" Peru told EW during her coronation interview. "I knew it. I was so in awe with her beauty and that song. I still perform it! For this runway, they asked us to bring our 'first' drag, and this costume was the first costume that I custom-made."

Scarlett Johansson — another member of Waititi's Jojo Rabbit family — made an appearance on season 13 of the main RuPaul's Drag Race competition earlier this year to give the American queens a digital lesson on acting.

Among the 10 queens competing for the global franchise's first Down Under crown are contestants from both Australia and New Zealand, including Anita Wigl'it, host and judge of New Zealand's House of Drag TV series, and her cohost, Kita Mean, as well House season 2 runner-up Elektra Shock.

In addition to filming RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under, Kylie released a new album, Disco, late last year, recording most of the dance-heavy album in quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic: "Even grown-ups need to have fun. Grown-ups can dance like they're still 17," she told EW of making something that would serve as a fantastical escape for fans during dire times. "I'm realistic but hopeful. I don't think it's an album of throwaway subject matter; even if it feels like [singing] about the dance floor, it still has its place."

Drag Race Down Under premieres May 1 on the WOW Presents Plus app, on TVNZ in New Zealand, and on Stan in Australia.

Subscribe to EW's BINGE podcast for a full recaps of all 12 seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race, featuring exclusive interviews with Trixie Mattel, Katya, Peppermint, Bianca Del Rio, Bob the Drag Queen, Sasha Velour, and more.

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