Drag Race fans furious as season 15 episodes cut short in ‘disrespectful’ move

RuPaul's Drag Race season 15. (MTV/Vijat Mohindra)

Drag Race season 15 will see the shortest episodes in years, going from 90 minutes down to 60 minutes.

Ever since season 10, which aired in 2018, Drag Race episode have run for 90 minutes with adverts – or around an hour without.

A new season kicks off with a “supersized” two-episode premiere in the US on Friday (6 January).

Both episodes will run for the traditional 90 minutes, but from next week episodes will run for just 60 minutes, it’s been confirmed.

According to Deadline sources the decision is all to do with Drag Race’s move from VH1 to MTV.

The short episodes will allow MTV “the opportunity to build a destination night by using the existing hit franchise” – by running new shows like Todrick Hall’s The Real Friends of WeHo immediately afterwards.

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The new reality series, airing 20 January, will offer an “unfiltered look” into the lives of six friends in West Hollywood, including Hall and his affluent friends.

Drag queens and avid fans alike have criticised the decision.

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“If you’re not gonna give the main franchise the respect and effort it deserves, WHY are you trusting it to a channel that’s not gonna treat it as the main reality show Drag Race is,” one fan tweeted.

Season 13 queen, Kandy Muse said: “No one asked for this.”

Fellow contestant Denali Foxx joked: “Is this punishment for not winning the Emmy???”

Many people have specifically targeted Real Friends of WeHo, with one person writing: “On paper you can understand why the MTV schedulers might think that the gays who watch Drag Race might also want to watch the show about Todrick Hall living his life in West Hollywood.. but like.. they don’t.”

Another agreed, adding: “Nobody cares. This is disrespectful.”

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Some found the

The shortened episodes fall in line with the runtime Drag Race previously had on Logo TV, from season one to eight, and for its first run on VH1, season nine.

The show’s move to MTV comes as the Drag Race franchise continues to grow – it’s recently announced a new Global All Stars edition, as well as more localised spin-offs.

Drag Race production company World of Wonder said of the move to MTV: “Drag Race is about universal themes of love, self-expression, and acceptance, and there has never been a more important time than now for these ideas to be expressed internationally.”

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15 begins on 6 January at 8pm ET on MTV in the US.

In the UK it will be available on WOW Presents Plus at 2am GMT on 7 January.

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