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Santino Rice on RuPaul's Drag Race, sitting behind a desk with two other judges.
Image: IMDB / Aaron Young/Logo

Why Santino Rice Left RuPaul’s Drag Race

RuPaul’s Drag Race shows no signs of slowing down, but if you’re a long-time watcher, you might be a little confused because a mainstay of the series just disappeared. Here’s what you need to know about why Santino Rice left RuPaul’s Drag Race.

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Why Santino Rice Left RuPaul’s Drag Race

For all those nosy fans out there, there unfortunately has never been an official explanation from RuPaul, the makers of the show, or Santino Rice himself as to why he left the show. That’s pretty strange because fashion designer and TV personality Santino Rice had a prettyĀ majorĀ role in the first few seasons ofĀ RuPaul’s Drag Race. He was a judge on Seasons 1-6 and a guest in Season 7, and then nothing.Ā 

Since then, the show’s judges have been Michelle Visage, Ross Mathews, Carson Kressley, RuPaul, and, more recently, Ts Madison. Matthews and Kressley have all been on-board for 11 seasons, while Visage has been around for 15.Ā 

Related: 90 Day Fiance: Are Gino and Jasmine Still Together? Answered

Visage was also around when Rice was a judge, but they have yet to say anything about Santino Rice’s departure. Googling the topic reveals speculation from fans and insiders about what went down, but there’s nothing solid to explain his departure anywhere on the Internet. It’s possible that, at some point in the future, Rice will share details, but nothing has cropped up on his social media, and it’s been nine years since he left the show.

So, while RuPaul’s Drag Race rolls on, concluding its 16th season in April 2024, it’s doing so without Santino Rice, and there’s no official explanation as to why he left. If you’re interested in more reality TV-realted content, here’s where The Circle is filmed.

RuPaul’s Drag Race is streaming on several platforms, including Paramount+ and Hulu with an MTV subscription.


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Chris McMullen
Chris McMullen is a freelance contributor at The Escapist and has been with the site since 2020. He returned to writing about games following several career changes, with his most recent stint lasting five-plus years. He hopes that, through his writing work, he settles the karmic debt he incurred by persuading his parents to buy a Mega CD. Outside of The Escapist, Chris covers news and more for GameSpew. He's also been published at such sites as VG247, Space, and more. His tastes run to horror, the post-apocalyptic, and beyond, though he'll tackle most things that aren't exclusively sports-based. At Escapist, he's covered such games as Infinite Craft, Lies of P, Starfield, and numerous other major titles.