“Drag is an art form that exists in every culture,” says Fenton Bailey, cofounder. “It’s like [these countries are] sitting on a secret, and they don’t know what they’ve got.” In response, WOW expanded in 2021 to Australia, Italy, and Spain, giving it 13 versions worldwide in addition to the U.S. franchise. Bailey, cofounder Randy Barbato, and host RuPaul Charles have done more than create a platform to share distinct styles of drag with the world. They have also proved that audiences can’t resist the chance to compare all those styles, which they can now do in one place: World of Wonder’s premium streaming site, WOW Presents Plus, whose subscriber total grew 134% in 2021.
