The drag queen reality competition show Queen of the Universe has been canceled after two seasons. The cancellation comes shortly after one of the show’s judges defended Drag Queen Story Hour for children, saying it is “completely appropriate” for young kids.
The Paramount+ show was produced by World of Wonder, the same company behind RuPaul’s Drag Race, which recently completed its 15th season.
As with the canceled Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Paramount+ will remove all episodes of Queen of the Universe from its service, effectively erasing it from public memory. The decision is a strong indicator that so few people were streaming the show that it was worth more to Paramount as a tax write-off.
Queen of the Universe — which was executive produced by RuPaul and hosted by British TV personality Graham Norton — pitted drag queen contestants against each other in a singing contest judged by a panel of judges, which included actress Vanessa Williams.
.@taigabrava performs an emotional rendition of “Praying” by Kesha in this week’s #QueenOfTheUniverse. ✝️
Stream the new episode TOMORROW on @paramountplus! 🎵 pic.twitter.com/grLg2j8Hjx
— Queen Of The Universe (@queenofuniverse) June 15, 2023
One of the judges, Michelle Visage, recently announced, “I am proud to be the parent of a nonbinary queer kid” while also defending Drag Queen Story Hour for children.
“If you take your kid to a Drag Queen Story Hour, there will not be a drag queen humping a pole. There will be a drag queen reading a lovely children’s book, and it is completely appropriate for children,” Visage said in an interview with the site Pop Sugar UK.
Visage also claimed “drag has nothing to do with children,” despite the fact that drag performers have been documented performing lewd and raunchy acts in front of kids, including performing lap dances on minors.
“I am proud to be the parent of a nonbinary queer kid.” Read more from @michellevisage: https://t.co/VL75ZvB7ZG
— POPSUGAR UK (@POPSUGARUK) June 5, 2023
In the interview, Visage also described the U.S. as a “horrible country.”
“For me, Pride Month isn’t any different than any other month,” Visage said. “I am proud to be the parent of a nonbinary queer kid. We do it longer and harder and louder, because when June is over, my kid is still queer. And when June is over, there’s still a horrible country they have to go out in.”
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