The cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 has been announced – including the show’s first straight cisgender male queen.
The reality TV series returns to US audiences on VH1 on 7 January 2022, with 14 new queens competing to be named America’s next drag superstar and win the $100,000 (£75,000) prize. It will be broadcast in the UK on WOW Presents Plus on 8 January.
Among the contestants is Maddy Morphosis, who is the first cis man to compete on a Drag Race franchise. Maddy hails from Fayetteville in Arkansas and describes herself as a camp comedy queen.
While male queens with girlfriends have competed on the show before, such as Drag Race UK’s Scaredy Kat in series one, they have not outwardly identified as straight.
In recent years, Drag Race has worked to diversify the drag queens it features on the show, after facing criticism for featuring mostly gay male drag queens while transgender performers were often sidelined.
Trans male queen Gottmik reached the final of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13 last year, while Victoria Scone was the first cis woman to appear on the show after competing on Drag Race UK series three. All Stars 6 was won by trans performer Kylie Sonique Love.
The other queens competing on season 14 are Alyssa Hunter, Angeria Paris VanMicheals, Bosco, Daya Betty, Deja Skye, Jasmine Kennedie, Jorgeous, June Jambalaya, Kerri Colby, Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté, Lady Camden, Orion Story, Willow Pill.
