‘I guess parodying The Last Supper is only problematic when drag queens do it’-Asyia Iftikhar-Entertainment – Metro

As drag queens fight to protect this age-old art form from an onslaught of attacks, RuPaul’s Drag Race creator Fenton Bailey has one message: They’re not going anywhere.

Few could have predicted the heights the Drag Race franchise would reach when it first aired on Logo TV in 2009. Created by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato and helmed by the inimitable RuPaul – the show has skyrocketed in popularity over the past 15 years.

‘There’s very few moments in your life where you know “my life has changed”. When Randy and I met Ru, it was clear that things would be different,’ Fenton told Metro.co.uk.

The main US series, which recently celebrated its 16th season, is now a mainstay on MTV while the series boasts several spin-offs including All Stars, multiple international versions and three Drag conventions aka Drag Cons.

Now the show is well known for launching the careers of global stars from Jinkx Monsoon, who has since appeared on Broadway and Doctor Who, to Bob the Drag Queen who opened for Madonna on her Celebration Tour. Just to name a few.

Not too shabby for an LGBTQ+ series that was not only rejected by major networks but had its start on a few ‘trestle tables’, a tiny studio and a corridor standing in as a green room, as Fenton recalled.

Fenton Bailey and Randy Babato founded World of Wonder (Picture: Santiago Felipe/FilmMagic)

‘It’s amazing to go from that lack of resources to a bigger budget and proper studio. But at the same time, what has remained the same is the spirit, creativity and energy of the queens.

‘Even though that first season isn’t as slick, the DNA is the same,’ he said.

The years of hard work have culminated in the latest spin-off series, Global All Stars, which brings 12 prior contestants from around the world together to crown themselves ‘Queen of the Mothertucking World’.

Fenton was coy about teasing what to expect from the new spin-off, simply saying: ‘It has to be seen to be believed.’

The familiar cast includes Alyssa Edwards, Kitty Scott-Claus, Miranda Lebrao and Pythia – with queens harking from the likes of Germany, Brazil, Mexico and Canada.

The recipe for success? For Fenton it’s obvious. As RuPaul says ‘we’re all born naked and the rest is drag’ and there’s a ‘universal reliability’ in that which Drag Race effortlessly captures.

The Emmy-winning show just keeps growing bigger (Picture: WireImage)

‘There has been a profound change [since we started] because these voices are now recognised and accepted as having stories to tell.

‘People now understand that rather than existing in a silo, or being a marginal, or a minority group, the stories that we have to tell are universally relatable

‘What Global All Stars underscores is that these stories aren’t unique to the US or the UK, but every community, every country.’

Despite the outward success, the road has certainly not been smooth, especially in the US where the show has had to survive not only a four-year Trump Presidency but an ongoing slew of anti-drag protests and legislation.

Fenton continues: ‘While the radical right in the States attempted to create a moral panic, it’s moving on, it’s going nowhere.

‘It’s a minority who would like to turn the clock back. But that has never worked in human history, and it never will work,’ Fenton says. ‘Because, definitionally, it’s insane.’

RuPaul has been the face of the show for 15 years (Picture: Getty)

The Drag Race franchise stepped up during the peak of the crisis and created the ACLU Drag Defense Fund, in collaboration with MTV and World of Wonder, to fight back against censorship which has raised millions of dollars.

Nevertheless, Fenton admits that even if you can’t ‘go backwards’, there can still be ‘great suffering and cruelty’.

‘Some of the criticism has been because of increased visibility. But when you think about it, why should these artists be invisible?’ he adds.

We need only look across the pond at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony which put on a ‘Greek Gods’ inspired drag queen performance featuring well-known queens such as Nicky Doll.

The backlash on social media was intense and vitriolic from the usual right-wing suspects – many of whom wrongly assumed the display was meant to replicate The Last Supper.

The abuse sent their way, including accusations of paedophilia, has even led Nicky to file a lawsuit against contentious public figure Laurence Fox.

The drag queens appeared during the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris (Picture: BBC PICTURE ARCHIVES)

Shows like The Simpsons and Sopranos have actually done Last Supper parodies (Picture: Fox)

And Fenton doesn’t mince his words at his thoughts on the supposed controversy.

‘Look at the ridiculous remarks about drag queens parodying the Last Supper [even though] it wasn’t the Last Supper. It’s an image in popular culture from The Simpsons to Battlestar Galactica.

‘Everyone’s done it. So I guess it’s only when drag queens do it, that it’s problematic,’ he said.

But the hostile atmosphere isn’t enough to deter Fenton’s optimism for the future, bolstered by Vice-President and current Presidential candidate Kamala Harris making a surprise cameo in the season nine finale of All Stars.

‘She has given her vote of confidence and really put herself behind the show in a way that no other presidential potential has in the past,’ Fenton says.

‘This is just a little secret but she wasn’t a presidential candidate when she recorded it.’

He later added: ‘If you had told me that the Vice President of the United States and candidate for the presidency would be on the show when we started out, I would have said you are crazy.’

For Fenton, this represents a ‘turning point’ in the sentiment of the nation.

He explained: ‘This sort of divisive rhetoric, and this fermenting of hate and bigotry feels like it’s had its day and people are tired of it. We shall see what happens in November.’

As for what happens if Trump wins, there is no hesitation in Fenton when he confirms that the show is here to stay – no matter what.

‘I don’t think that you can silence people’s voices, I don’t think you can crush that creativity. Attempts to do so have always been misguided and disastrous and doomed to failure.

‘But drag has always existed, and will always exist. Fascism and persecution? It’ll only redouble people’s commitment to expressing themselves.’

When not battling political forces, the show has its own issues to navigate. Last year rumours sparked that a whole queen had to be edited out of the latest UK season after unsavoury accusations.

‘Producing anything is always a challenge and unexpected things always happen,’ Fenton says when asked about what happened, and how the crew dealt with it.

‘But honestly, the show you saw was the show with the cast in it. Unexpected things happen. You have to be – from a production point of view – flexible and able to turn on a dime like this.’

Production scandals aside, Drag Race has also seen backlash from the queens themselves, with more and more talking about the financial burden of appearing on the show. Normally centred on the high cost of materials.

There is no sign of Drag Race slowing down (Picture: Getty)

‘There is no requirement to financially deplete themselves,’ Fenton points out, deftly manoeuvring.

‘I totally understand it’s a competition and everybody wants to do the best they can. But it isn’t about spending money. Spending money isn’t necessarily going to mean you win.’

One thing is clear, even in the face of various challenges, Fenton fosters a deep love for all the ‘600 queens’ that have passed through the Werk Room from the very first one eliminated to the latest winner.

And no one should dare ask him who his favourite queen is (although he diplomatically answers Ru).

‘We want all the queens to flourish, we want the show to be a platform to launch them into whatever it is they want to do next.

‘I’m always so impressed and awed. I’m a fan of all the queens,’ he concludes.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars premiers on Wow Presents Plus on August 16.

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