‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 16: How to Watch the Premiere Online for Free

RuPaul’s Drag Race is taking another lap! Season 16 of the hit competition series premieres on MTV on Friday (Jan. 5) at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Apart from the fabulous queens, the new season will feature multiple music challenges and guest judges such as Becky G, Charlize Theron, Adam Shankman, Icona Pop (Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo), Isaac Mizrahi, Jamal Sims, Joel Kim Booster, Kaia Gerber, Kelsea Ballerini, Kyra Sedgwick, Law Roach, Mayan Lopez, Ronan Farrow and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Ts Madison and Ross Mathews return as mainstay judges.

Read on for more details about the season and ways to watch and stream the show live for free.

How to Stream Ru Paul’s Drag Race Season 16

Start your engines! A new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race premieres on Friday at 8 p.m. ET/PT. New episodes will air on MTV on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET.

Fans can also stream the season premiere on MTV.com with a login from your provider. If you don’t have access to MTV through a cable, satellite or a streaming subscription, there are a few ways to stream RuPaul’s Drag Race without paying anything upfront.

For example, Philo and DirecTV both offer free trials for new subscribers.

Philo lets you stream 70+ channels, plus unlimited DVR for just $25/month. The platform is currently offering a seven-day free trial here, so you can stream Drag Race and other shows, movies and more without paying anything up front.

Not interested in Philo? You can also find a free trial through Fubo TV or DirecTV to stream live television, including MTV and other cable and local channels.

DirecTV offers a free trial for five days and streaming plans for less than $70. Fubo offers a one-week free trial and streaming plans under $75.

Other ways to watch and stream Drag Race: Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV and Verizon Fios.

To access DirecTV, Paramount+ and other streaming platforms internationally, use ExpressVPN (Drag Race is also available on the WOW Presents).

Want to catch up on season 15? MTV will air a marathon on Friday leading up to season 16 premiere. Season 15 became the show’s highest rated premiere in six years, as Deadline reported.

Additionally, the latest season and older seasons of Drag Race are available as paid episodes on Prime Video, Vudu and Apple TV.

In addition to the new season, the latests installment of Untucked: RuPaul’s Drag Race, where the competing queens discuss the current season, premieres on Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

How to Watch Previous Seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars

Older episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race and Drag Race All Stars including season 15 extended episodes are available to stream on Paramount+. You can stream the new season of Drag Race on platforms such as Philo, Paramount+, Hulu and Prime Video.

New subscribers can choose between Hulu with or without ads to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race online. Alternatively, the Hulu + Live TV package offers customers 90+ live channels, including MTV.

Who’s on This Season of RuPaul’s Drag Race?

Meet the queens! The season’s full roster of queens vying for the ultimate title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar” and a grand prize of $200,000 include Amanda Tori Meating, Dawn, Geneva Karr, Hershii LiqCour-Jeté, Megami, Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige, Mirage, Morphine Love Dion, Nymphia Wind, Plane Jane, Plasma, Q, Sapphira Cristál and Xunami Muse.

Watch a sneak peek of the new season below.