For two decades, RuPaul’s Drag Race has turned queer artists into global superstars, thriving entrepreneurs, internet sensations, and cultural icons. From Drag Race and All Stars winners like Trixie Mattel, Bob the Drag Queen, and Jinkx Monsoon, to standout competitors like Plastique Tiara, Katya, and Adore Delano, everyone’s a winner on RuPaul’s queendom of drag royals.
More than any other reality TV show, Drag Race has become a launchpad for LGBTQ+ artists to showcase their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent through the art form of drag. These queer creatives step into the werk room with big dreams, catchphrases, and branding ideas. The show shines a bright spotlight on them. And as their Drag Race journeys end, the queens werk even harder to build careers that stand the test of time.
The queens on this list have launched businesses, collaborated with major artists and brands, released albums, starred in high-profile films, series, and theatrical productions, competed on other reality shows, and toured the world to sold-out crowds.
Below, the supreme queens of Instagram.
10. Alaska — 1.8M Followers
Alaska’s top 3 finish on Drag Race season 5 and crowning glory on All Stars 2 solidified her status as a supreme RuGirl. Even early in her world fame, Alaska has stood out as a marketing genius with a clear vision for the future of drag: branding, merch, original IP, multimedia projects, and staying many steps ahead of pop culture itself.
Known for popularizing niche drag references and bringing them into the greater queer lexicon, Alaska has released five studio albums, launched the MOM (Moguls of Media) empire — home to podcasts like Race Chaser, Very Delta, and Sloppy Seconds — and originated a theatrical production, Drag: The Musical, nominated in two categories at the 2025 Drama League Awards. In 2027, Alaska became the first actor to play Mary Todd Lincoln in a touring production of Cole Escola’s Tony Award-winning play Oh, Mary!.
Alaska has 1.8 million followers on Instagram (@theonlyalaska5000).
9. Violet Chachki — 1.9M Followers
RuPaul’s Drag Race season 7 winner Violet Chachki took the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar to new heights, carving out a path in the fashion industry that seemed impossible for drag queens at the time. Since becoming America’s Next Drag Superstar, she’s attended fashion shows, modeled for Moschino, attended the 2019 Met Gala (”Camp: Notes on Fashion”), was an alternate cover star in the March 2023 issue of Vogue Czechoslovakia, and performed at the illustrious cabaret venue Le Crazy Horse de Paris in 2025, to name a few.
Even more recently, Violet hit the road for The Knockout Tour alongside fellow Drag Race star Gottmik, launched her own fashion brand DARDO, and was literally turned into a doll by Jason Wu’s Atomic Lab.
Violet Chachki has 1.9 million followers on Instagram (@violetchachki).
8. Alyssa Edwards — 1.9M Followers
From Mesquite, Texas, Alyssa Edwards is also a choreographer, the owner of Beyond Belief Dance Company, and the crowned winner on RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars. One of the most iconic RuGirls in herstory, Alyssa has traveled the world on numerous tours, starred in her own Netflix docuseries Dancing Queen, and gave fans more memes than they could handle between her runs on Drag Race and WOW Presents Plus series Alyssa’s Secret.
The Global All Stars winner recently got caught up in the Texas Senate race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton after Talarico named Alyssa (a fellow Texan) his favorite drag queen. Paxton shared a misleading video about drag queens on social media, prompting Alyssa to respond in a letter, writing: “The way we choose to speak about others often says far more about our own character than it ever will about theirs.”
Alyssa Edwards has 1.9 million followers on Instagram (@alyssaedwards_1).
7. Adore Delano — 2M Followers
More than a decade has passed since Adore Delano’s werk room introduction in season 6, and she’s still one of Drag Race’s most popular alumni ever. From American Idol to Drag Race, Adore has unapologetically broken down barriers for queer singers and drag entertainers at a time when the music industry was even less welcoming to such artists. She’s released three studio albums: 2014’s Till Death Do Us Party, 2016’s After Party, and 2017’s Whatever.
Adore shared an Instagram Reel in 2023 coming out as a trans woman. A year later, she made waves by announcing that she was setting her sights on an acting career.
Adore Delano has 2 million followers on Instagram (@adoredelano).
6. Jinkx Monsoon — 2M Followers
Between her original run in season 5 and grand return on the all-winners season All Stars 7, Jinkx Monsoon became the first two-time Drag Race winner in herstory and was crowned “Queen of All Queens” by RuPaul.
Jinkx has since taken the theater world by storm, performing in Broadway musicals like Chicago, originating a character (Ruth) in the revival of Pirates! The Penzance Musical, bringing queer and trans sensibilities to Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, breaking box office records in Oh, Mary! playing the titular role, and bringing Judy Garland to life in a new London revival of End of the Rainbow. Oh, not to mention her Carnegie Hall debut for Valentine’s Day in 2025.
Besides solidifying her Broadway darling status, Jinkx starred as a fabulous villain on the BBC’s Doctor Who, voiced Emerald on Steven Universe, and costarred in The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show for nine years alongside creative partner and fellow Drag Race icon BenDeLaCreme.
Jinkx Monsoon has 2 million followers on Instagram (@thejinkx).
5. Bob the Drag Queen — 2.1M Followers
Bob the Drag Queen entered world-domination mode after being crowned America’s Next Drag Superstar in season 8. She doesn’t like to brag, but notable achievements include traveling the world as a drag entertainer and comedian, emceeing Madonna’s legendary The Celebration Tour, hosting three seasons of HBO’s We’re Here, releasing the New York Times best-selling novel Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert, competing on The Traitors season 3, and co-hosting the Sibling Rivalry podcast with Drag Race All Stars 4 twinner Monét X Change.
As a TV and film actor, Bob has starred in Tales of the City, Cherry Pop, Besties, Doctor Odyssey, and A Black Lady Sketch Show, to name a few. In 2023, Bob and Monét were featured on The Simpsons in the episode “My Life as a Vlog.” Then, in 2026, she made her Broadway debut playing Harold Zidler on Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Bob made herstory as the first Black queen in the Drag Race franchise to reach 2 million followers on Instagram — and, so far, the only Black queen to do so. She recently launched her own production company, Purse First Studios, with podcasts/web series such as Only Child and Quit Playin’.
Bob the Drag Queen has 2.1 million followers on Instagram (@bobthedragqueen).
4. Bianca Del Rio — 2.5M Followers
Bianca Del Rio, the “clown in a gown” herself, has been one of the busiest and most booked queens since her season 6 crowning. The beloved comedian has traveled the world several times with solo tours like 2014’s The Rolodex of Hate Tour, 2016’s Not Today Satan Tour, 2019’s It’s Jester Joke Tour, 2021’s Unsanitized Tour, and 2024’s Dead Inside Tour. Heading into 2027, she’s embarking on a new world tour named It Gets Bitter.
Bianca has starred in her own original films: 2016’s Hurricane Bianca and the 2018 sequel Hurricane Bianca: From Russia With Hate, both from filmmaker Matt Kugelman. In recent years, she performed in U.K. and U.S. stage productions of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, hosted The Pit Stop recap series, and is set to compete in the next season of The Traitors on Peacock.
Bianca Del Rio has 2.5 million followers on Instagram (@thebiancadelrio).
3. Katya — 2.9M Followers
Katya Zamolodchikova is the third most-followed Drag Race alum in herstory, and it’s only a matter of time for the season 7 Miss Congeniality winner and All Stars 2 finalist to cross 3 million followers on the social network. When she does, Katya will be one of only three RuGirls to ever reach that milestone.
Beyond her creative collaborations and joint tours with Trixie Mattel, Katya has released original songs like the absolute banger “Ding Dong,” co-hosted the podcast Whimsically Volatile, and starred in TV shows like Hacks, Room 104, and Love, Victor. She also hosts Who’s the A**hole?, a Grindr-produced talk show that has run successfully for five seasons.
Katya has 2.9 million followers on Instagram (@katya_zamo).
2. Trixie Mattel — 4.5M Followers
Between gaining a legion of fans on Drag Race season 7, entering the Drag Race Hall of Fame on All Stars 3, and making a name for herself beyond the series, Trixie Mattel is one of the franchise’s most successful queens ever. This multimedia star released original songs as a country-folk musician, launched a DJ career, founded Trixie Cosmetics (which celebrated five years in 2025), and opened the iconic Trixie Motel — as documented in an HBO Max renovation series of the same name.
Trixie is also one of the most famous drag queens on the internet, credited not only to her own YouTube channel but also to the popularity of her web series/podcasts co-hosted by Katya, such as UNHhhh (WOW Presents Plus), I Like To Watch (Netflix), The Trixie & Katya Show (Viceland), and The Bald and the Beautiful.
Trixie Mattel has 4.5 million followers on Instagram (@trixiemattel).
1. Plastique Tiara — 4.9M Followers
Plastique Tiara had a breakout run in season 11, a next-level journey on All Stars 9, and now regularly breaks the internet with the Plastique’s Beauty Bar video series on YouTube. In 2026, she launched her own brand, Plastique Beauty, which sells hand-crafted premium hair wigs.
Though she hasn’t snatched a Drag Race crown (at least not yet!), Plastique reached the No. 1 spot on this list faster than any other queen in herstory, surpassing longtime frontrunner Trixie Mattel. The Tiara reign extends across social networks, too. With a mind-blowing audience of 11.9 million people, Plastique is also the most-followed RuGirl on TikTok (@plastique_tiara).
Plastique Tiara has 4.9 million followers on Instagram (@plastiquetiara).