Lady Gaga Brings the Queens to Tears on 'RuPaul's Drag Race' as Wendy Williams Hosts 'Fierce Fridays' Ahead of Show

The Emmy-winning show is making the jump from Logo to VH1, and Wendy Williams will be throwing a live viewing party dubbed Fierce Fridays

Published on March 17, 2017 01:00 PM

Mama Ru and Mother Monster have come to werk!

Lady Gaga is helping RuPaul kick off the ninth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race and PEOPLE has the exclusive first look at the singer’s cameo.

The Emmy-winning show is making the jump from Logo to VH1, so the network will be throwing a live viewing party on Friday nights. Wendy Williams will host the bash — dubbed Fierce Fridays — and RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Ross Mathews will join in to dish on the queens ahead of the show’s premiere. The viewing party kicks off March 24 at 5:30 PM on VH1 during the Pitch Perfect broadcast.

In the premiere, 13 queens who are vying for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar are introduced to Gaga for the first time. The shock and awe of Mother Monster’s presence leaves many in tears, with one contestant sharing an emotional story of how impactful Gaga has been in their lives.

“I have always really admired the craftsmanship that goes into what you all do,” this year’s Super Bowl halftime show performer, 30, tells the competitors. “Drag for me has been an opportunity to leave myself when I didn’t want to be me and felt so completely out of place when I was in high school. Drag has been a part of my life for the longest time. It’s just really an honor for me to be here, to be with you.”

Not since ABC’s 2013 Thanksgiving television special, Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular, have RuPaul and Gaga been together on screen.

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“There’s an ease and familiarity that is apparent when you watch her,” RuPaul, who recently revealed he married his longtime partner, told Entertainment Weekly of Gaga’s Drag Race stint. “We had a fabulous time with Gaga. She was in heaven because this is all so much a part of her wheelhouse and what she does with imagery, costumes, and the way she presents herself.”

Other celebrities making appearances this season include Lisa Kudrow, Cheyenne Jackson, Meghan Trainor, Kesha, The B-52s, Naya Rivera, Andie MacDowell, Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth, Denis O’Hare, Noah Galvin, Todrick Hall, Tamar Braxton, Lisa Robertson, Joan Smalls, Candis Cayne, Fortune Feimster, and Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman.

RuPaul’s Drag Race premieres Friday, March 24, at 8 p.m. ET on VH1.