Ariana Grande Set to Return to Mainstage of Emmy(R) Award-Winning "RuPaul's Drag Race" for Season 15 Premiere

Series returns with back-to-back episodes and limited commercials Friday, January 6th at 8:00 PM ET/PT on MTV

(NEW YORK, NY - December 14, 2022) - MTV today announced Grammy(R) Award-winning singer, songwriter and actress Ariana Grande will join Emmy(R) award-winning host RuPaul as the guest judge for the two-episode season premiere on Friday, January 6th at 8:00 PM ET/PT. Grande will accompany mainstay judges Michelle Visage and Ross Mathews as they welcome a new cast of queens who will wow the world with their performance skills in a talent show extravaganza. Debuting on its new home of MTV, the first episode will be commercial free, while the second episode will have limited commercial interruption, providing viewers with even more charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.

The 16 competing queens will bring their all to the runway in an effort to impress the judges as they vie for the ultimate title of "America's Next Drag Superstar" and a grand prize of $200,000 - the highest amount in the herstory of the main franchise. Previously announced queens include Amethyst (West Hartford, CT), Anetra (Las Vegas, NV), Aura Mayari (Nashville, TN), Irene Dubois (Seattle, WA), Jax (Queens, NY), Loosey LaDuca (Ansonia, CT), Luxx Noir London (East Orange, NJ), Malaysia Babydoll Foxx (Miami, FL), Marcia Marcia Marcia (New York, NY), Mistress Isabelle Brooks (Houston, TX), Princess Poppy (San Francisco, CA), Robin Fierce (Hartford, CT), Salina EsTitties(Los Angeles, CA), Sasha Colby (Los Angeles, CA), Sugar (Los Angeles, CA), and Spice (Los Angeles, CA).

For more information on "RuPaul's Drag Race" and up-to-date news, go to mtvpress.com and follow RuPaul's Drag Race on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook for all the latest tea. Join the conversation using #DragRace.

"RuPaul's Drag Race" and "RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked" are produced by World of Wonder Productions with Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, Steven Corfe, Mandy Salangsang, Michelle Mills and RuPaul Charles serving as Executive Producers. Tim Palazzola serves as Executive Producer for MTV and Jen Passovoy serves as Supervising Producer.

About World of Wonder:

World of Wonder (WOW) has reshaped international pop culture, earning 30 Emmys, inspiring Oscar-winning performances, creating global network WOW Presents Plus across 190 territories and bringing drag culture to the world stage via RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE and DragCon.

WOW's pioneering television portfolio includes other smash-hit franchises like "Million Dollar Listing." Their film division, WOW Docs, produces groundbreaking documentaries including "Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures," "Party Monster" and "The Eyes of Tammy Faye." WOW also operates YouTube channel WOWPresents, music label World of Wonder Records, the WOW Podcast Network, and year-round international live events.

Co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have been profiled in Variety's Reality TV Impact Report. Honors for their trailblazing work include the IDA Pioneer Award, Realscreen's Global 100 list, and the OUT 100. Most recently, World of Wonder was ranked #2 among film and TV powerhouses in Fast Company's World's 50 Most Innovative Companies.

About Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios:

Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios is one of the preeminent media entities in the world that connects with global audiences through its nine iconic brands - MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, CMT, Pop, Logo, The Smithsonian Channel, Paramount Network and TV Land - and its Studios arm which produces acclaimed series and movies as well as award-winning documentaries through MTV Documentary Films.