RuPaul's Drag Race season 18
The eighteenth season of the American television series RuPaul's Drag Race premiered on MTV on January 2, 2026.
Development
On August 20, 2024, MTV announced the series renewal for Season 18 along with its companion series RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked.Casting for the eighteenth season began on September 30, 2024 with a deadline of December 6, 2024.
Marketing
Season 17 winner Onya Nurve presented the contestants through the series official YouTube channel on December 2, 2025. An official trailer was released on December 9, 2025, which featured the contestants and the season's celebrity guest judges.Contestants
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Outcome |
| Athena Dion | 37 | Miami, Florida | rowspan="11" |
| Ciara Myst | 31 | Indianapolis, Indiana | - |
| Darlene Mitchell | 34 | Los Angeles, California | - |
| Discord Addams | 34 | St. Petersburg, Florida | - |
| Jane Don't | 32 | Seattle, Washington | - |
| Juicy Love Dion | 24 | Miami, Florida | - |
| Kenya Pleaser | 27 | - | |
| Mia Starr | 39 | West Palm Beach, Florida | - |
| Myki Meeks | 29 | Orlando, Florida | - |
| Nini Coco | 29 | Denver, Colorado | - |
| 37 | Montgomery, Alabama | - | |
| Briar Blush | 25 | Boston, Massachusetts | 12th place |
| Mandy Mango | 28 | 13th place | |
| DD Fuego | 36 | New York City, New York | 14th place |
Contestant progress
Lip syncs
Legend:Guest judges
RuPaul and Michelle Visage remained as the regular judges, with Carson Kressley, Law Roach, Ts Madison, and Ross Mathews reappearing as alternating judges. Various celebrity guest judges set to appear were revealed on December 9, 2025. Starring celebrity guest judges are listed below in order of episode appearance.- Cardi B, rapper
- Dove Cameron, singer and actress
- Sarah Sherman, comedian and actress
- Annaleigh Ashford, actress, singer and dancer
- Zara Larsson, singer and songwriter
- Amy Taylor, musician and activist
- Leland, singer and songwriter
- Jamal Sims, choreographer and director
- Teyana Taylor, singer and actress
- Benny Blanco, record producer
- Brooke Shields, actress
- Iman, model and actress
- Atsuko Okatsuka, stand-up comedian
- Danielle Pinnock, actress, comedian and writer
- Julianne Nicholson, actress
Special guests
;Episode 1
- Bob [The Drag Queen], winner of RuPaul's [Drag Race season 8|season 8]
- Kim Chi, contestant on season 8
- Raja, winner of season 3, and contestant on RuPaul's [Drag Race All Stars season 7|All Stars season 7]
- Jamal Sims, choreographer and director
- Erika La'Pearl, celebrity make-up artist
- Tokyo Stylez, celebrity hairstylist and wigmaker
- David Benjamin Steinberg, songwriter and music producer
Episodes