'King of Drag's Dr. Wang Newton says the kings' moment is now: 'we're no longer chasing approval'

Yahoo

07-06-2025

While Dr. Wang Newton is already one of the most successful and well known drag kings in the biz, he's about to strut his stuff for a brand new audience on a new, massive stage as one of the permanent judges on the upcoming — and highly anticipated — competition series King of Drag.
It's a moment that's been a long time coming for the drag community and one that has Wang asking the same question we are: 'Why did it take this long for kings to take center stage?' he poses to PRIDE. 'After 16 years of RuPaul's Drag Race, 20+ global spinoffs, and nine years of Dragula, the real question is: why not yesterday?'
It's a hypothetical question but one that's worthy of being answered — even if doing so requires taking a hard look at the queer community and who we choose to uplift. Thankfully, King of Drag looks to be equal parts entertaining and restorative representation. When Wang says it's been a long time coming, he means a long time. 'I joke that kings go way back — from the Tang Dynasty to the Wang Dynasty — because theatrical male impersonation has existed for over 1,300 years. We've always been here. Literally, facts.'
While the inequity between representation of kings and queens is unquestionable, Wang sees this moment as a change for the kings to be seen on their own terms. 'No 'pick me,' no victim energy — we're no longer chasing approval from spaces that were never interested in including us,' he says. 'The truth is, [The Boulet Brother's] Dragula led the way with real inclusivity, and now King of Drag follows suit. And man oh man, do we have some snazzy suits!'
TeAra DeBerry
In the same way that queens generally explore heightened versions of femininity, kings play with the ideas and tropes of masculinity. Politically and culturally, this has the potential to become a hot-button topic, particularly in a time when discussions around masculinity have become so fraught, specifically in right-wing spaces that also tend to look for excuses to turn drag into a wedge issue. Wang, however, hopes audiences see kinging generally and King of Drag specifically as an exploration of masculinity that makes much more space for its expression and celebration.
'Masculinity isn't a monolith — it's a mood board,' he explains. 'Drag kings came with the remix and the beat drop. If traditional masculinity boxed us in, an all-king show is the jailbreak. Flipping the script to liberated masculinity is kinda hot.'
Wang has high hopes for the series, and the impact it will have on kings moving forward. 'I hope it cuts the velvet rope and leaves the door swinging open,' he says. 'After 20 years in the game, I want to see something new. No more comparing apples to oranges with drag queens. I want a surge of facial hair absurdity, feral kings, and quiet masterful kings emerging from the woodwork.' We couldn't agree more.
But that's not all: like his fellow King of Drag judge Tenderoni, Wang wants to see a positive economic impact for kings as well. 'Just for fun, maybe some actual social impact — like closing the gender wage gap, while performing gender with our gap,' he says with a wink. 'I've been blessed on this journey — but I can't keep all this Wang Privilege to myself!'
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Speaking of Wang himself, he shares that despite his decades in the biz, this experience caused his personal drag to evolve, too. 'This was my Wang 3.0 glow-up — the Outer Wang got some new polished lewks, but the Inner Wang glow turned up a notch, too.'
But most of all, Wang is thrilled the world is going to get to see kings on the kind of platform they deserve. As for what to expect this season, he says to hold on to your mustache! 'Fans may think they've seen it all: Death drops, reveals, rinse, repeat. But kings do their own thing. Expect bold choices, big charm, and a whole new spectrum of sexy!'
King of Drag premieres June 22 on Revry. Stay tuned for more updates about the series on PRIDE as they roll out, and watch the teaser trailer below.
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