Drag Race icon Valentina says she’s ‘changing history’ by hosting Mexican spin-off: ‘It’s an honour’
Valentina and Lolita Banana will host Drag Race Mexico. (Paramount+)
The ever-growing world of RuPaul’s Drag Race is expanding again, with new franchise Drag Race Mexico, hosted by season nine alumni Valentina, dropping very soon.
Fan favourite Valentina will be joined by fellow Drag Race alum Lolita Banana, who reached the top four on the inaugural season of Drag Race France in 2022. Both queens are of Mexican descent, with Valentina having spent a large portion of her working life in the country.
Valentina made huge waves in the Drag Race universe during her debut on season nine in 2017, winning over the judges and viewers with her Linda Evangelista smile, impeccable fashion sense and disarming charm.
Since making her Drag Race All Stars return in 2018, she’s graced the cover of Vogue Mexico, starred in Fox’s live rendition of Rent, Rent: Live, and rocked up alongside RuPaul in his comedy drama series AJ and the Queen.
It’s an impressive resume for the 32-year-old queen, but nothing quite tops hosting her own spin-off of the show that made her famous.
“To be coming into a position of now being a host, it’s such an artistic challenge and a graduation,” she recently told Remezcla. “The next level in my career is in changing the history of the way people view queer people and queer stories in Mexico. It’s truly an honour.”
While Valentina grew up in Bell, California, both of her parents are Mexican, which she said helped her to “know a lot of the references” when it came to hosting Drag Race Mexico.
“I was in a bilingual household where both languages were being spoken,” she explained.
“Having worked in Mexico for very long periods of time is something that I’m using as a big source of inspiration for things that I do artistically.
“I’m 100 per cent Californian. I’m 100 per cent Mexican and it is an honour to be waving both of those flags at this moment.”
Valentina and Lolita Banana announced their joint hosting gig last weekend (12 May), during RuPaul’s DragCon in Los Angeles
“It is such a pleasure to announce that my comadre, my dear friend Lolita and I will be the host, the official hosts of the historical first season of Drag Race Mexico,” she shared, as the show’s promotional poster was beamed behind her.
As the Drag Race empire continued to expand in recent years, fans have repeatedly called for a Mexican version of the show, considering the wealth of drag talent in the country. Valentina has long been a rumoured favourite to become the franchise’s host.
While little is known about how the series will play out or which queens have made the final cast list, Valentina has already teased a bit about what to expect.
“They have to be creative,” she shared with Remezcla. “Some of these girls come from a big city. Some of these girls are from pueblos, so my queens are under a lot of pressure to deliver top-notch drag with their resources.”
The endless expansion of the Drag Race monolith is a big win for fans of the series and queens around the world who get to showcase their talent. Yet, it’s arguably benefiting RuPaul most, as he recently welcomed the world into the sprawling Hollywood mansion he bought with his millions.
