Courtney Act speaks out on rumours she’ll be hosting RuPaul’s Drag Race Australia

Legendary Drag Queen Courtney Act has spoken out on the mass speculation that she’ll be the host of RuPaul’s Drag Race Australia, which begins filming on January 29.

The 38-year-old performer – whose real name is Shane Jenek – was thought to be the frontrunner to host the new season, which Daily Mail Australia understands will air later this year as a Stan Original.

But Courtney appeared to dispel the rumours on Friday’s The Project – saying it would be logistically impossible, seeing as she’s just completed a two-week quarantine in Sydney rather than New Zealand, where the show will be filmed.

‘Everyone’s trying it, but I promise you I have nothing to do with Drag Race, and I’ll tell you why,’ Shane said. 

‘I was reading that RuPaul and 16 people have landed in Auckland to film Drag Race – so I can assure you that if I were involved, that I would not fly to Sydney to quarantine for two weeks, only to fly to Auckland to quarantine for two weeks.’

Indeed, New Zealand’s LGBT+ Express Magazine claimed last week that RuPaul Charles himself had checked into a quarantine hotel in New Zealand, in preparation to host the new series in a matter of weeks.

And it’s not beyond the realm of possibility, as his husband, Georges LeBar, is an Aussie and he regularly visits his in-laws Down Under.

Despite being filmed in New Zealand, the show is titled RuPaul’s Drag Race Australia and will feature both Aussie and Kiwi queens.

A source told Daily Mail Australia earlier this month: ‘It’s 100 per cent going ahead. Queens have been cast and they’ve signed NDAs [non-disclosure agreements] to keep it hush-hush.’

When contacted by Daily Mail Australia, Stan declined to comment.

Rumoured cast members include Sydney’s Vanity Faire, Felicia Foxx and Coco Jumbo, as well as Brisbane’s Scarlett Fever and Sellma Soul.

The British and American versions of RuPaul’s Drag Race are available to stream on Stan in Australia