There is no denying that many of the competing with huge internet celebrities for sponsorships, bookings, and engagement.
A celebrity's follower count on Instagram may seem like a superficial issue for fans to worry about. However, time and time again, the queens have opened up about how their number of followers can directly influence the opportunities that they are offered and how often they are booked to perform. With that said, let's take a look at the 10 most-followed queens on Instagram.
Aquaria - 1.6 million
Aquaria already had a noteworthy social media following prior to winning on season 10. However, as it often happens, Drag Race propelled Aquaria's career to new heights, which reflected on her online following. Currently, Aquaria has 1.6 million followers on Instagram.
Among her various achievements, Aquaria hosted a season of Fashion Photo RuView with Raja, attended the Met Gala in 2019, and was featured in several marketing campaigns that include brands like MAC, X Fenty Beauty, H&M, and Moschino. Furthermore, Aquaria was in the original cast of the Las Vegas residency RuPaul's Drag Race Live.
Alaska - 1.7 million
When it comes to RuPaul's Drag Race, season 5 runner-up, and All Stars 2 winner Alaska is one of the ultimate fan-favorites of the franchise. Since being on the show, Alaska has released several songs, launched the Race Chaser podcast with Willam, and even competed on the first season of VH1's Scared Famous.
As a consequence of her Drag Race popularity, Alaska has a high number of subscribers on her YouTube channel and thousands of monthly listeners on Spotify. On Instagram, Alaska has 1.7 million followers, which makes her the 9th most-followed Drag Race contestant on the platform.
Sasha Velour - 1.7 million
Largely thanks to Sasha Velour, The Bold Type.
On Instagram, Sasha Velour is also one of the most successful drag performers in the world, having accumulated 1.7 million followers thus far.
Alyssa Edwards - 1.8 million
Dancing Queen. Furthermore, Alyssa has a prominent out-of-drag career as the owner of Beyond Belief Dance Company.
Given how many iconic moments Alyssa Edwards has been responsible for on RuPaul's Drag Race, it is not surprising at all that the queen has 1.8 million followers on Instagram - making her the 7th most-followed Drag Race alum on the platform.
Violet Chachki - 1.8 million
When it aired, fans were quick to judge Drag Race season 7 as the worst season in the entire series. However, many queens that were featured in that cast have proven the fans wrong. Since being crowned the winner, Violet Chachki has fully entered the mainstream fashion world - partnering with high-profile luxury brands and accumulating 1.8 million followers on Instagram.
As of late, Violet Chachki walked for Moschino during Milan Fashion Week in 2018 and attended the Met Gala in 2019. Moreover, Violet was chosen to be on the cover of Simon Doonan's book Drag: The Complete Story, which told the history of this art form.
Kim Chi - 1.9 million
Kim Chi may not have won season 8, but the queen has been one of the most successful RuPaul's Drag Race contestants of all time. Besides touring the world with the Werq The World Tour and running her own makeup brand Kim Chi Chic, the queen has also become a major digital influencer with a following of 1.9 million people on Instagram.
Fans are still waiting to see if Kim Chi will ever slow down and come back to compete on a season of All Stars. For now, however, it certainly feels like the queen has enough on her plate.
Katya - 2 million
Kickstarting the 2-million Instagram followers club is season 7 Miss Congeniality and All Stars 2 runner-up EastSiders, to name a few.
More importantly, however, Katya has been very successful hosting World of Wonder's UNHhhh and Netflix's I Like To Watch along with her season 7 sister Trixie Mattel. In 2020, the duo has also released their first-ever book, which is called Trixie & Katya's Guide to Modern Womanhood.
Adore Delano - 2.1 million
Adore Delano won over the hearts of many fans during her time competing on Drag Race season 6. And despite her unsuccessful run on All Stars 2, Adore is still the 3rd most popular Drag Race contestant on Instagram, having accumulated 2.1 million followers thus far.
For many years, Adore Delano was the second most-followed queen on Instagram - always slightly behind Bianca Del Rio but way ahead of all the other queens. As of late, however, several queens have grown their social media presence and ended up outpacing Adore's ever-growing follower count on Instagram.
Trixie Mattel - 2.2 million
Trixie Mattel was eliminated twice on Drag Race season 7 and had a not-so-steady ride on All Stars 3 prior to winning the crown. Nonetheless, in the real world, Trixie has been one of the most successful Drag Race contestants of all time. Of note, Trixie hosts UNHhhh and I Like To Watch with Katya, runs the Trixie Cosmetics makeup brand, released the Moving Parts documentary in 2019, has released two EPs and an album, and continuously tours the nation with her comedy/music shows.
With so much momentum behind Trixie Mattel, it is not surprising that she has 2.2 million followers on Instagram. As of now, Trixie is trailing right behind Bianca Del Rio.
Bianca Del Rio - 2.2 million
It may have been a while since season 6, but no other contestant has ever dethroned Bianca Del Rio as the most-followed Drag Race queen of all time. Trixie is now inching closer to Bianca's follower count, but that doesn't change how successful Bianca has been with her several comedy tours and TV appearances, as well as reigning supreme on of all social media.
As of this writing, Bianca Del Rio has 2.2 million followers on Instagram. Bianca is still slightly ahead of Trixie Mattel, but this is surely a very interesting competition to keep our eyes on.