$200,000 Cash Prize and a Spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame — This Orlando Queen Just Made History
Spoiler Alert: This contains major spoilers for the finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Myki Meeks has been crowned the winner of Paramount’s RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, claiming the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar” after besting finalists Darlene Mitchell and Nini Coco. Along with the crown, Meeks took home a $200,000 cash prize.
Meeks’ road to the crown was far from easy. She landed in the bottom during the Rate-a-Queen challenge — but what followed was one of the biggest comebacks in the show’s history. Meeks went on to win the Political Advert Challenge, the Makeover Challenge, the Improv Challenge, and the Final Hosting Challenge, claiming three of those four victories back-to-back — something that almost never happens in Drag Race history.
Accepting the crown, Meeks delivered a speech that is already one of the most talked-about winner speeches of the season: “This is for my friends, my family, all of Orlando — live fiercely, love boldly, and write it in the books baby: the Meeks shall inherit the crown!”
One of the biggest moments of the season came during the Snatch Game Challenge, where Meeks delivered a spot-on impersonation of Drew Barrymore that got judges and viewers talking. The impression blew up so fast that Barrymore personally invited Meeks onto her daytime talk show. Meeks showed up — naturally — dressed as Barrymore herself. The host’s reaction said it all: “There’s such an accuracy.”
The clip went viral and quickly became one of the most-shared moments of the entire season.
This season’s Miss Congeniality title went to Jane Don’t, who had one of the realest moments of the night. “Congeniality is not something the women in my family generally aspire to,” Don’t said, “but one of the best gifts that this whole experience has given me is my relationships with these girls. You are the best prize.”
The finale also featured a full reunion of Season 18’s eliminated queens — including DD Fuego, Mandy Mango, Briar Blush, Ciara Myst, Vita VonTesse Star, Mia Starr, Athena Dion, Kenya Pleaser, Discord Addams, Jane Don’t, and Juicy Love Dion — each making one final appearance on the main stage.
The night’s other major highlight: Miley Cyrus receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award. Her acceptance speech got the loudest reaction of the night — “This makes the Grammys look cheap” — and nobody in the room disagreed.
Host RuPaul also took the stage for a performance of her 2022 track “Mother of the House,” reminding the audience — and the competition — exactly who built this empire.
RuPaul’s Drag Race remains the biggest unscripted property on MTV Entertainment Studios’ slate. Season 18’s strong ratings and consistently high social media engagement prove the show still owns its corner of mainstream pop culture — a position few reality competition shows have managed to hold this long.
