RuPaul’s Drag Race: Location & Details About Where The Show Is Filmed

Vh1’s runaway hit RuPaul’s Drag Race is well into its 13th season and has become a mainstay for audiences worldwide. The show has won several Emmys and spawned a slew of spin-offs, including Spain, Holland, UK, Thailand, and Canada. An Aussie version is on the way. There is no doubt that the show is a phenomenon. It also brings important messages and movements to its runway.

While there are several international spin-offs, the USA-based iterations are filmed in Hollywood. That includes RuPaul’s Drag Race, All-Stars, Secret Celebrity Drag Race, and the long-finished Drag U. Truly, Hollywood is where dreams are made and broken. It is the perfect place for a show that is centered on finding the next drag superstar.

The exact filming location is the historic Sunset Las Palmas Studios. It’s situated in the heart of Hollywood. Sunset Las Palmas Studios was founded in 1919 and used to be the home to classic television shows like Pee-wee’s Playhouse and Soul Train. In fact, RuPaul’s Drag Race is filmed on Soul Train‘s old sound stage. Soul Train was a long-running (35 years!) American dance television program that helped push stars like Rosie Perez to prominence.

No matter who wins on RuPaul’s Drag Race, competing drag queens become household names to fans all around the world. Their careers launch into the stratosphere thanks to the notoriety of being in the Olympics of drag. This all happens on a sound stage in a historic studio, which is found in a city known for its glamorous hopes and dreams. While many think the production company World of Wonder has its own studio, the reality is that its web shows are filmed in front of a small green-screen at the company’s office building. They don’t have the space needed for a show like RuPaul’s Drag Race. Nonetheless, prominent queens like Katya create amazing content at World of Wonder.

Sunset Las Palmas has gone by many names, including Hollywood Center Studios and Zoetrope Studios. Francis Ford Coppola once owned Sunset Las Palmas (then known as Zoetrope) and eventually sold it to Canadian real estate developers, the Singer family. That’s when the name changed to Hollywood Center Studios, until Hudson Pacific Properties bought the studio for 200 million dollars and changed its name to Sunset Las Palmas.

RuPaul’s Drag Race shows no signs of slowing down, even as it finishes its 13th season. There are currently several spin-offs in the works, including All-Stars 6, which will stream exclusively on Paramount +. There are also rumors that an international All-Stars is on the horizon. Fans are eagerly awaiting the official announcement. Until then, RuPaul’s Drag Race continues its mainstream success on VH1.

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13 airs Fridays at 8 pm EST on VH1.