Raja explains her All Stars 7 season 3 tribute and why this might be her last time on Drag Race
Raja is officially a season 3-peat contender on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7 — which, as the drag superstar exclusively tells EW, could mark her final appearance ever on the Main Stage.
"There were several moments I wanted to repeat, just as a reminder of what happened 11 years ago," Raja tells EW's BINGE podcast (listen below) of hitting the latest, knitting-themed AS7 runway clad in a gilded recreation of her Futurama Glamorama (otherwise known as "She3PO") look that first rocked the fandom back in 2011. "This is an elevated version of it, which is how I think life should be lived: You can take concepts from your past and do better versions of it, or do something a little more elevated.... I did want to make some revisits, just as a reminder. I slayed it once before, and I'm going to slay it again."
Raja adds that she and her drag daughter worked on the revamped version by knitting together gold ropes and threads with several large needles — a method that reminds Raja of passing time on New York City subways by knitting, years before she became the season 3 winner. The popular music group Deee-Lite (particularly its leader, Lady Miss Kier) also provided inspiration for the garment, which collides two of Raja's favorite elements as a Gemini: "The past and the future," she says.
World of Wonder (2) Raja recreates her Futurama Glamorama look from season 3 on 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7'
The hard work paid off: Raja won her second overall challenge on the latest episode of All Stars 7, after triumphing in a Scrooge-inspired role in the holiday-themed Mean Girls satire/murder mystery acting challenge titled Santa's School for Girls. She later beat The Vivienne in a two-woman lip-sync, earning her second Legendary Legend Star of the season.
When asked if she's had recent conversations with fellow Drag Race alums Violet Chachki and Gottmik — who took over for her as the hosts of the recap show Fashion Photo RuView and subsequently "booted" some of her looks at the start of the season — Raja said that, while she has nothing but love for both queens, she's enjoying being "booked and blessed" in her career. Noting that as much as she's enjoying her reintroduction to the Drag Race fandom, this might the last fans see of her on the Emmy-winning show.
*Fantasia voice* 🎶 Raja, Raja, Raja! 🎶 #AllStars7 @sutanamrull @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/amJgd8KJEX
— RuPaul's Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) July 1, 2022
"This is the last time I'm ever going to be on RuPaul's Drag Race ever in my life, so, I'm just focused on the positive and, no, I haven't had a conversation with [Violet and Gottmik] at all. I've just been surrounding myself with other things. There's so much! They're busy, they're booked and blessed as well, I've been watching them, I follow both of them on Instagram," Raja explains.
When pressed on whether her comments were a declaration or speculation, she clarifies: "Right now at this point I'm saying it's a declaration. It's such a hard thing to do and I live a life of leisure and I hate being inconvenienced," she jokes. "It's so hard to do Drag Race. It's stressful, but I can't see myself doing that ever again right now. I'm saying that today. You never know, I might get a call from Randy [Barbato] and Fenton [Bailey] of World and Wonder like, 'We're going to do another one!' You never know, I might change my mind, but today I'd say it's not a possibility."
Vijat M for EW Raja for EW
Listen to Raja's full breakdown of the latest All Stars 7 episode in the podcast above, and tune in to EW's Quick Drag Twitter Spaces chats with the cast every Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT. Hear more EW's BINGE interviews with Drag Race personalities in the feed below.
Entertainment Weekly's Ultimate Guide to RuPaul is available online or wherever magazines are sold.
Subscribe to EW's BINGE podcast for full recaps of RuPaul's Drag Race, including weekly All Stars 7 recaps and reactions with the cast, special guests, and more.
Related content:
