Liza Minnelli Is Headed to the ‘Drag Race’ Season 17 Finale

For 17 seasons, RuPaul’s Drag Race has served as a launch pad for new pop icons. Now, the show is honoring its inspirations by recognizing EGOT winner Liza Minnelli as a cultural icon who paved the way for entertainers like RuPaul.

On Tuesday (April 1), Drag Race announced that RuPaul will present Minnelli with the show’s “Giving Us Lifetime Achievement” award during the season 17 finale on Friday, April 18. Minnelli, who has long been heralded as both an ally for the LGBTQ+ community and a gay icon, will appear on-stage during the finale to receive the award.

Minnelli — who is one of the producers of the off-Broadway hit Drag: The Musical, an original play starring several Drag Race alumni — will be the third recipient of the award, which has been given out at every season finale of the show since season 15. The first-ever award was given to fashion designer Bob Mackie (who served as the very first guest judge on Drag Race), while Cassandra Peterson (better known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark) received the second iteration of the honor in last year’s finale.

This won’t be the first time that Drag Race has paid homage to Liza with a Z. During the show’s iconic Snatch Game challenge in season 9, Alexis Michelle delivered a hilarious impression of Minnelli that ended up winning the challenge — Billboard even ranked Michelle’s performance at No. 11 on our list of the best musical impersonations in the challenge’s format.

Meanwhile, season 17 of RuPaul’s Drag Race is currently ranked as the No. 1 show on cable among 18 to 34-year-olds, according to a press release from Paramount. Five queens — Jewels Sparkles, Lexi Love, Onya Nurve, Sam Star and Suzie Toot — remain in the competition, with two more episodes to go before the grand finale.