RuPaul's Drag Race has featured hundreds of celebrity guest judges over the years, and although a few appearances have been deemed failures, there are some guests who have earned praise for being the best stars. RPDR has invited celebrities to help judge the queens since the show premiered in 2009, with season 1 including cameos from singer Michelle Williams, Robin Antin, Mike Ruiz, and Bob Mackie. Although RPDR started off on a small scale, the show has now expanded into a franchise hosted in over ten countries.
While the original judging panel included RuPaul Charles, Merle Ginsburg, and Santino Rice, the main judges since RuPaul's Drag Race season 7 have been RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Ross Mathews, and Carson Kressley. During each episode, the chosen celebrity judge takes the fourth seat. However, sometimes, the show also brings in a second person to occupy a fifth spot. While there have been a few guest judges who have missed the mark in terms of critiques or authenticity, others have exceeded the queens' and viewing audiences' expectations.
It takes a lot to be a great guest judge on RPDR, especially since the main judges are all known for having big personalities of their own. The celebrities who are the most highly-regarded are those who bring a perfect mix of humor, relatability, compassion, and of course, good critiques. Below are some of the best guest judges to star on RPDR, and why their appearances are considered the greatest.
Nicole Byer (Seasons 13, 14, All Stars 3, & All Stars 5)
Most guest judges on RPDR are only featured once. However, Nicole Byer is so charming, funny, and constructive (in terms of her criticism) that she has been on the panel a whopping five times. Besides appearing on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars seasons 3 and 5, Nicole helped to judge two RPDR season 13 episodes, before returning for season 14. Nicole, who has hosted all six seasons of the hilarious Netflix series Nailed It!, genuinely loves the art of drag, and seems to be over the moon during her RPDR appearances. As a comedian herself, Nicole's best constructive criticism has revolved around how to find the natural humor in situations (such as when she helped judge RPDR All Stars 3's Snatch Game), and how the queens should stay true to themselves. Nicole's energy on RPDR is definitely infectious, and some RPDR fans even think that Nicole should be a permanent judge.
Lady Gaga (Season 9)
Lady Gaga's guest appearance on the first episode of RPDR season 9 was not just exciting and lots of fun, but extremely heartwarming. Although she introduced herself as "Ronnie" from New Jersey, the queens recognized the superstar as soon as she lifted her headpiece. While all of the queens were ecstatic to meet Lady Gaga, Eureka O'Hara was moved to tears, and explained to Lady Gaga how special the experience of meeting her really was. Lady Gaga was visibly moved by the season 9 queens' reactions, and her critiques and words of advice were practical, helpful, and very kind. When the contestants all wore their own versions of some of the pop diva Lady Gaga's best outfits, the singer was so impressed that she admitted, "I have nothing to say. I'm going to be speechless this whole time." Lady Gaga's time on RPDR was important to the show's competitors, and the fact that she personally visited the queens backstage to thank them for doing the show made her appearances even better.
Miley Cyrus (Season 11)
While Lady Gaga's identity was uncovered within seconds, Miley Cyrus remained anonymous a little longer by posing as a member of the RPDR season 11 production crew. Naturally, Miley's character, "BJ," didn't last long, as Silky Nutmeg Ganache immediately recognized the pop star. Not only were the season 11 queens excited to meet Miley, but she was equally excited to meet them. Miley said at one point, "I'm freaking out! I can't believe I'm here [in front of] this double mirror s***." Like other main and guest RPDR judges who have done their best to help, Miley gave the queens plenty of good advice before they hit the runway, and wished them well during their mainstage runway appearances. Although Soju and Kahanna Montrese ended up in the bottom two, their lip sync to Hannah Montana's iconic "Best of Both Worlds," was not just a fun throwback for longtime fans of Miley, but a chance for RPDR viewers to watch Miley rock out to her old song.
Sheryl Lee Ralph (Season 6)
Sheryl Lee Ralph, who helped to judge RPDR season 6's "Shade: The Rusical" challenge, was hilariously witty and highly perceptive, and gave some of the queens valuable advice. Sheryl's guest appearance gave off a strong motherly vibe, and it was clear that the entertainer and activist really wanted the queens to perform to the best of their abilities. When Trinity K. Bonet got defensive over her speech, for example, Sheryl told her to "Put a cork in it!" and explained that Trinity speaking with an object in her mouth would help her pronunciation. Sheryl also immediately (and correctly) guessed that Adore Delano was a former competitor on American Idol, and excitedly used Adore's catchphrase, "Party!" while judging. Sheryl was not only an entertaining guest judge, but enjoyed her time getting to know the queens on season 6.
Leslie Jones (Season 12)
Leslie Jones was living her best life when she appeared as a guest judge on RPDR season 12, and she accurately portrayed how every super fan of the show would react to being a part of the panel. When Leslie wasn't recording the event on her phone, and mouthing along to RuPaul's famous lines, the actress and former Saturday Night Live comedian was besides herself with excitement. She declared, "Oh my god! I'm losing my mind!" Leslie's joy was infectious to viewers at home and the season 12 queens, and although she was a judge, it was clear that she didn't want to see anyone sashay away. While Leslie enjoyed the bottom two lip sync between Rock M. Sakura and Brita, for example, she was seen encouraging Rock beforehand, "Do this s***, lets do this s***!"
Joel McHale (Season 11)
Joel McHale's guest appearance on RPDR season 11 was immediately praised. Fans liked his unabashed enthusiasm and genuine excitement. While Joel's invitation to join the RPDR judging panel may seem surprising for some, he has been a fan of the show (and a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community) for years. While it's customary for the RPDR judges to crack jokes and deliver witty remarks during the queen's runways, Joel took it one step further by loudly yelling for each person like he was rooting for a sporting team. Despite Michelle lecturing Joel that RPDR "is not a football game," Joel's honest reactions to the queens, coupled with the fact that he was obviously having a good time, resonated with fans everywhere. What's funnier is that that Joel stole the show despite the other guest judge being Tiffany "New York" Pollard, who is known for her own hilarious, off the cuff remarks. RuPaul's Drag Race has featured dozens of great guest judges over the years, and with season 15 in the works, fans are already speculating about who will be included in the next group of guest judges.