RuPaul's Drag Race queen Manila Luzon says new Drag Den series will 'take over the world'
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Manila Luzon might not have a RuPaul's Drag Race crown, but she's building up a fierce queendom of her own as the Drag Den mother she was born to be.
"We're going to be auditioning very soon for some very talented queens," Luzon exclusively tells EW of the upcoming Filipino drag queen contest she's set to host later this year. "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."
Announced earlier this month, Drag Den marks the Philippines' first-ever original drag queen-themed reality competition series. And with Luzon at the head of the program (which she previously said will find and assemble a "drag cartel," of sorts), it's not going to be a throwaway venture.
"I'm excited that we're going to create an opportunity similar to [what] RuPaul and World of Wonder have given to me," Luzon says in tribute to her time competing on season 3, All Stars 1, and All Stars 4 editions of the Emmy-winning series in the United States. "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!"
Though Luzon will lead the new show, Drag Den is not affiliated with the RuPaul's Drag Race franchise or its production company, World of Wonder. Drag Den season 1 joins Canada's recently announced Call Me Mother — fronted by Drag Race season 9 queen Peppermint and RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 1 star Crystal — as the latest in a growing line of non-Drag Race TV pageants.
Still, the RuPaul's Drag Race brand continues to expand globally, with WOW recently announcing Drag Race Italia season 1 will soon join existing international editions in the U.K., Holland, Canada, Thailand, Spain, Australia, and more, while RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 6 is currently airing new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.
CS Studios 'RuPaul's Drag Race' queen Manila Luzon is hosting a new drag queen competition series 'Drag Den' in the Philippines.
Hear Luzon's full interview as part of the EW's BINGE podcast recap of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 4 — also featuring appearances by Naomi Smalls and Monique Heart — above.
Subscribe to EW's BINGE podcast for full recaps of RuPaul's Drag Race, including our new season diving into all five All Stars seasons, featuring exclusive interviews with Jujubee, Alexis Mateo, Shea Couleé, Alaska, Detox, BenDeLaCreme, Kennedy Davenport, and more. And be sure to catch up on our BINGE recaps of RuPaul's Drag Race seasons 1-13 with Symone, Jaida Essence Hall, Trixie Mattel, Katya, Peppermint, Bianca Del Rio, Bob the Drag Queen, Sasha Velour, and more!
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