Nicky Doll Announced As Drag Race France Solo Host, Makes History

Good news for Nicky Doll fans who were curious: she can host!

The 30-year-old French drag queen performer -- who viewers in the states best remember as a contestant on the 12th season of RuPaul's Drag Race which aired back in 2020 -- is taking the reigns as the host of the upcoming international spin-off Drag Race France, where she will be leading a judges panel that includes Daphne Burki and musician Kiddy Smil.

Though Doll has some big heels to fill (doing a job that people most associate with Mama Ru is a daunting task!), she is already making history as the first US Drag Race alum to solo host an international version of Drag Race. Season 11's Brooke Lynn Hytes hosts Canada's Drag Race, but she split her hosting/presenting duties with fellow judges Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman and Stacey McKenzie in season one of the Crave series, and with Traci Melchor, Amanda Brugel, and Brad Goreski in season two.

"I'm honored and thrilled to be the mistress of ceremonies of this emblematic show, which is going to revolutionize French drag and give prominence to incredible queer artists!" she said in a statement following the announcement.

An outpouring of online support came from the Drag Race fandom as soon as the announcement was made earlier today, including from the likes of Hytes, who took to Twitter to congratulate her fellow Drag Race contest-turned-host.

"Welcome to the other side [Nicky Doll]," Hytes wrote in her congratulatory tweet. "I'm so excited for you!"

Though she placed tenth in the competition and was sent home in the fifth episode of season 12 after losing a lip sync to Heidi N Closet of "Heart to Break" by Kim Petras, Doll has been close to RuPaul since her elimination, and as previously reported, she was even booked by Ru personally in 2020 to do Pete Davidson's makeup for a skit when Ru hosted Saturday Night Live.

"He gave me amazing advice that will help me throughout my whole career. Having that validation of RuPaul asking me to do a job for him was a beautiful experience," Doll told Entertainment Weekly during an interview following her Drag Race exit about her continuing mentorship from Ru. "He told me to never read the comments online and to not pay attention to what other people do, and focus on being the best version of myself. He said, 'If you think you're working hard, work harder.' It was so meaningful to hear that from her mouth."

No official premiere date has been announced just yet, but we'll be watching this space to learn when we'll be getting to see Nicky in action again!

RELATED | All the RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 Queens Who Came Out As Trans During the Season