Yahoo Lifestyle ‘Drag Race’ Producers Have a New Sense of Urgency Post-Election: ‘It’s Going to Motivate Us to Produce More’
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” and World of Wonder co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato were exchanging text messages early in the afternoon on election day.
“Randy texted me F–k and said ‘We’re gonna lose,’ very early on,” says Bailey. Barbato sent the message at 3:48 p.m. precisely.
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How did Barbato know, when most felt optimistic and almost certain that Kamala Harris would win the presidency? “I have been consumed with the punditry, and it just seemed like there was a disconnect between the mainstream media and people all over America,” says Barbato. “But, actually, it was this one thing where someone was saying it would be very unlikely she would lose Pennsylvania because there were thousands of people on the ground. And if 1,000 Trumpers came walking down my street to persuade me to vote for him, it’s unlikely they would change my mind.” He adds, “I think it’s super important not to demonize the people who voted for Trump.”
The two sat down with Variety over Zoom to talk about what the future looks like for “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” World of Wonder, the projects they’ll produce and more.
Take me back to Tuesday night. What did you do?
BARBATO: I went to bed very early, assuming we lost but with peace, because of my kids and because I realized I needed to be a role model and help them understand we move on with compassion and kindness and love and joy. Fenton and I sent a note out to everyone at World of Wonder, thanking them for being so amazing and filled with gratitude for the world that we’ve built. Both of us made this commitment to find a way to find some light and positiveness, instead of dwelling in the darkness. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be vigilant. We need to be vigilant, and we need to pay attention. It’s scary, but also we need to do what we do best and that’s making what we make, being kind, being loving and reaching out to people who aren’t just in our tribe.
In terms of projects, you have the “Drag Race” franchise, but what about documentary storytelling? How is this going to impact the stories you tell or what you attach World of Wonder to?
BAILEY: Because someone with a big reputation for lying won the election, documentary storytelling and telling the truth becomes more important than ever.
BARBATO: I think it will have very little impact on what we produce. I think it might have an impact who might finance that stuff, or who won’t finance it. We’re fortunate enough to have WoW Presents Plus as our own streamer, and we independently finance a lot of content on that. It may be that we’re just independently producing a lot more, but it’s not going to change who we are or what we produce. It’s going to motivate us to produce more.
What about “Drag Race”? We’ve always talked about the importance of the show for LGBTQ+ kids across the world, especially in small-town America. How do you feel the message and power of the show is going to bring these kids now more than ever?
BAILEY: I don’t think the result of this election is good news for the LGBTQ+ community, but then I don’t think this result is good news for any community, even the people who voted for him. So continuing to tell the stories we’ve told in our careers becomes more important. When you have the most powerful man in the world demonizing and demeaning people, what good can come of that? Won’t tragedy follow? I mean, how could it not?
How empowered or energized are you feeling right now with the work that you’re going to be doing, and the stories that you’re going to be looking to tell?
BARBATO: In our working relationship, I’ve always tended to be glass half full. So I’m incredibly energized and passionate and believe that having hope and faith and compassion will win out in the end. So, I’m super energized.
BAILEY: I may be the glass is half empty guy, but he told us exactly who he was. Everyone who cast a vote for him knew who they were voting for.
Before the election, I had been traveling around the country and I noticed a lot of Trump signs. As optimistic as I was trying to feel, there was that deep vibe of, ‘I don’t know, what if she doesn’t win?’
BAILEY: There are tens of millions of people who tried to do the right thing. As unfortunate as the outcome is, you essentially have a country divided in two halves.
BARBATO: It’s polarized. He has been telling us who he is. Many people voted for him, but many people voted for other things, as misguided as that might seem, and I think we’ve spent a long time in bubbles and siloed out, and I don’t see a way forward when you look at what the actual divide is without trying to understand more and without trying to connect more otherwise that you know there is no way forward. Progress is always going to be harder than the status quo or moving back. It always has been. It always will be, but that’s the choice we’ve all made. It just takes time and commitment.
BAILEY: A woman’s place is in the White House. I’ve still got that cushion from Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, and I was so excited because I thought finally this time. Guess it’s going to take a few more years. Trump spent millions on playing over and over his anti-trans ad: “She is for they / them. Trump is for you” and people seem to think that resonated with his base and beyond. But of course, that’s what bullies and cowards do: they pick on a vulnerable minority. It’s also a lie. Trump is not for you or any of us. Trump is for himself. The consequences will be bad for us, for all of us, however we identify.
The fundamental thing is that we both agree in the sense that we are committed to the work that we do and we believe in telling the stories that we tell, and we have every intention of continuing to tell them.
BARBATO: …and committed to being politically engaged and building a better world for myself and for my kids and for people who didn’t vote for him and people who did.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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