RuPaul’s Drag Race is one of the reality world’s most beloved shows, with 17 seasons having been filmed as part of the US show alone.
The programme is famous for its top tier drag queens who compete against each other for money, notoriety, and of course, the crown.
The show has also been a gateway for its contestants to appear on other reality shows, and in some cases, start their own or move into other entertainment avenues.
This has led to a number of the queens to accumulate incredible wealth, so let’s see which ones have the biggest net worths.
10. Violet Chachki – $2,500,000
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Violet Chachki won the seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2015 and has a net worth of $2.5m dollars.
As well as this, she is also famous for being a burlesque and aerial performer, content creator, model, and recording artist.
Violet was the first drag queen to front a major lingerie advertising campaign for Bettie Page Lingerie, and has modelled at Milan Fashion Week, the Met Gala and in Vogue.
She has also produced five singles as a lead artist, the latest with Allie X. Violet also starred in the music video of Unholy by Sam Smith featuring Kim Petras in 2022.
9. Derrick Barry – $3,000,000
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Derrick Barry competed in two seasons of Drag Race. Despite coming fifth on RPDR season eight, Derrick later returned to season five of All Stars in 2020, coming last.
Nevertheless, Derrick Barry has achieved lots of success as both a drag queen and Britney Spears impersonator and has toured internationally, earning her a net worth of three million dollars.
Her debut album HEY DERRICK was released this year and she has also starred in several music videos including ones by Eminem, Katy Perry, and Ava Max.
Before appearing on RPDR, Derrick Barry’s first appearance on TV was season three of America’s Got Talent, which she reached the quarter-finals of.
8. Alyssa Edwards – $3,000,000
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Also worth three million dollars, Alyssa Edwards was a fan favourite during season five of RuPaul’s Drag Race, of which she came sixth.
Alyssa later returned to RPDR to come fifth in All Stars and eventually won the first season of Global All Stars.
Alyssa also stars in her own web series Alyssa’s Secret and also owns and operates a dance studio, Beyond Belief Dance Company. This studio was the focus of the Netflix docuseries, Dancing Queen.
Chad Michaels – $3,000,000
via Netflix
Chad Michaels also has a net worth of three million dollars, most of which she earned since coming second of RPDR season four and winning the first season of All Stars.
Best-known for her Cher impersonations, Chad Michaels has made cameos in Jane the Virgin and 2 Broke Girls in 2015, as well as several other TV shows.
Alaska Thunderfuck – $3,400,000
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RPDR season five runner-up and winner of All Stars season two, Alaska Thunderfuck has a net worth of 3.4 million dollars.
Despite believing that she won’t ever be asked back to the show, Alaska has earned her place as Drag Race royalty and also done more than well for herself on other series, onstage, and in music. She has released four albums, of which the first two reached the top five on the Billboard Heatseekers charts.
Alaska also co-hosted the web series Bro’Laska with her brother, Cory Binney, until 2020.
Additionally, Alaska is part of the band, The AAA Girls and has appeared in many music videos, including Power by Little Mix.
Bianca Del Rio – $4,000,000
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RPDR icon Bianca Del Rio has a net worth of four million dollars.
She won the sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and since her victory, has written and toured several stand-up shows.
Bianca was also the first drag queen to headline at Wembley Arena.
As well as this, she has her own iconic film series Hurricane Bianca and in 2023, made a cameo in Bad Education.
Courtney Act – $5,000,000
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Next, RPDR season six runner-up, Courtney Act is worth five million dollars.
Before, her Drag Race debut, Courtney was already well-known in her home country of Australia after competing on the first season of Australian Idol in 2003. Since then, she has released three solo EPs and numerous singles.
Like Alaska, Courtney is a member of The AAA Girls. Outside of her feud with RuPaul, she has also made a successful career on television after winning Celebrity Big Brother UK in 2018.
During the same year, Courtney hosted reality show The Bi Life on E! as well as her own Christmas special The Courtney Act Show.
Since then Courtney has featured in Eurovision, Neighbours, Dancing with the Stars, and The Masked Singer Australia. She also has her own podcast.
Michelle Visage – $5,000,000
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Although not a contestant, Michelle Visage definitely earns her place on this list being the most iconic judge of the show.
Although Drag Race was when she arguably gained most attention, before then she was a member of 90s bands Seduction and The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M.
Since starting on Drag Race, Michelle has also made it big on UK telly, appearing on Strictly, Celebrity Big Brother, Celebrity Gogglebox and Saturday Night Takeaway, making it no surprise that she is third place on this list.
Adore Delano – $6,000,000
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Despite quitting the second season of All Stars, Adore Delano has more than made up for it earning herself six million dollars in net worth.
Adore shot to fame when she reached the semi-finals of American Idol season seven before coming second on the sixth season of RPDR.
She has had a successful music and drag career since then, releasing three studio albums and headlining nine tours around the world.
Trixie Mattel – $10,000,000
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Second place is Trixie Mattel with a net worth of 10 million dollars.
Despite only finishing in sixth place on her RPDR debut in season seven, Trixie is definitely one of the biggest legends to come from the show, eventually winning the season three of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.
She has released four music albums, co-owns Wisconsin’s oldest gay bar, This Is It! and runs The Trixie Motel in Palm Springs.
Trixie is also famous for collaborating with Katya Zamolodchikova, together they host a podcast and the Netflix web series I Like To Watch.
Their book Trixie and Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood is also a NYT bestseller.
As well as working with Katya, Trixie has collaborated with Iggy Azalea, Nicole Byer and Brittany Broski on her popular YouTube channel and has appeared on American Horror Story, Monster High, and Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star.
She is also the CEO and founder of her cosmetics brand Trixie Cosmetics.
RuPaul – $60,000,000
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This was probably obvious but the richest star on this list is the queen of drag RuPaul with a huge 60 million dollar net worth.
As well as founding Drag Race, RuPaul has won 14 EMMYs for his music and a TONY award for producing the Broadway musical A Strange Loop. He has featured in many films and TV shows throughout his career, including AJ and the Queen on Netflix, of which he starred and produced.
Featured images via Netflix
