The 17th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race has taken television by storm with the highest premiere rating in 12 years. And among the cast’s 14 contestants is Oklahoma native Lana Ja’Rae.
The 22-year-old drag queen applied for the show’s latest season as a resident of New York City, but the season’s youngest drag queen got her start in Oklahoma.
Hosted by the renowned RuPaul Charles, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is a reality competition series in which drag queens compete for cash, a year’s supply of cosmetics and undoubtedly the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar.” The series’ 17th season premiered in January.
Deemed the “splashiest season in herstory,” Season 17 features drag queens from Los Angeles to New York to Chattanooga, Tennessee. A few former champions, including Trinity the Tuck, who co-won Season 4 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” will make guest appearances, alongside other celebrities including Katy Perry and Quinta Brunson.
Here’s what to know about Season 17 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and Oklahoma’s connection to one contestant.
Who is Lana Ja’Rae?
In an interview with Thotyssey, Ja’Rae detailed that while she split her time between Oklahoma and Dallas, her Lana Ja’Rae persona was born in Oklahoma.
“When COVID hit, I was graduating high school and had plans to attend the University of Oklahoma, but due to a very unfortunate family emergency with my mom I wasn’t in the right mental state to go to college for four years. So instead, I just moved out and went on a self-discovery journey,” Ja’Rae shared in 2022.
Ja’Rae got her start on Oklahoma stages as a dancer, performer and theatre student, she told Entertainment Weekly, and her first theatrical experience was playing Agatha Trunchbull in a high school production of “Matilda.”
From the exposure to theatre and the role, Ja’Rae said she began exploring the idea of doing drag and shortly created Lana Ja’Rae.
Since starting her drag career, Ja’Rae has moved to New York City, where she is regarded among some of the biggest names in the city’s drag community.
Coming into the season, Ja’Rae was tied to former contestant Luxx Noir London, who controversially received blowback for her amount of confidence. Ja’Rae knew she could also receive similar pushback, yet she didn’t let that stop her.
“I told myself I was the best in the room, but I also realized everybody else in the room is also the best in the room. So I just made sure that I do the best that I could do and prayed that was enough,” Ja’Rae told Entertainment Weekly.
How to watch ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” airs Fridays at 7 p.m. CT on MTV.
It’s also available to stream on Paramount+, Hulu, Philo and fuboTV.