go, girl!

Dancing With The Stars reveals its first drag queen contestant

The Dancing With The Stars trophy
(Photo: ABC)

Dancing With The Stars has revealed that Drag Race queen Shangela will be the first contestant in the show’s US history to compete in drag.

Shangela shared a clip of the announcement on her social media.

“Ready to strut into this Ballroom and rep for anyone who ever had a Dream, baby!” she said.

“Competing on @dancingwiththestars has honestly been a dream of mine for years. I knocked on doors for meetings, I journaled, I prayed and I literally envisioned myself a part of this gig … I’ve been preparing my body for over a year in hopes that it would happen (y’all have seen me at the gym lol.) AND NOW I CAN SAY I’M HERE!

“I hope to rep my community of Queens proudly. I want to show America that this proud lil gay black boy from a small town in Texas never stopped Werqin for what he wanted, and now is about to compete in a new arena in his fiercest performance form … in drag as Shangela. We’re doing this together y’all and trust me, I surely do appreciate ur love on this! ❤️😘”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Shangela (DJ) (@itsshangela)

Related: Who was Moi Renee, the late drag queen sampled on Beyoncé’s new album?

Who is Shangela?

D.J. “Shangela” Pierce has previously made history as the first drag queen to compete on three separate seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She was the first contestant eliminated in season two, but returned in season three and also appeared in the third season of All-Stars.

She’s gone on to enjoy one of the more successful post-Drag Race careers, recently co-hosting the docuseries We’re Here on HBO.

She also had a role in the Lady Gaga movie, A Star Is Born, in 2018. She was among those to represent the movie at the 2019 Academy Awards, becoming the first drag queen to walk that particular red carpet.

Shangela will dance with pro dancer Gleb Savchenko.

Also announced as a contestant is out, weather anchor, Sam Champion. He’ll be dancing with Cheryl Burke. Other contestants include Cheryl Ladd (Charlie’s Angels), Jason Lewis (Sex And The City), Selma Blair, Wayne Brady (Let’s Make A Deal), and singer Jordin Sparks.

This season of Dancing With The Stars will premiere on September 19th, but in a new home. It’s moving from ABC to Disney+.

Related: Nobody slays racists and homophobes better than Shangela

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Shangela (DJ) (@itsshangela)

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated