RuPaul's Drag Race moves to VH1, season 9 premiere date announced

RuPaul's Drag Race has outgrown its sequined stilettos.

EW can exclusively reveal the Emmy-winning reality competition series' ninth season will debut to a broader audience Friday, March 24 at 8 p.m. ET on VH1. The network is set to broadcast each of the series' subsequent episodes for the remainder of the season, marking the first time Drag Race has shifted networks across its eight-year history, having previously aired over 100 episodes on Logo since 2009.

Following their VH1 premiere, encore presentations of season 9 episodes will be shown on Logo.

As previously announced, the season 9 premiere prominently features pop superstar Lady Gaga, who joins the Drag Race crew for a "shocking opening that will go down as one of the most jaw-dropping moments" the show has ever seen, according to Logo.

"Coming off RuPaul's Emmy win and a ratings record-breaking season of All Stars, the fandom around RuPaul's Drag Race has only continued to swell as we head into season nine," Logo's SVP of original programming and development, Pamela Post, said of the show's move via a statement. "Broadcasting the show on VH1 will allow more fans to experience the energy, heart, and talent these fierce queens bring to the stage every week."

In anticipation of the ninth season, Logo will air a nonstop Drag Race marathon of past episodes, dubbed Race to the Nines, beginning Sunday, March 19 at 8 p.m. ET. The five-day marathon also contains new bonus content — including never-before-seen footage and interviews with past contestants and current judges like Michelle Visage, Bob the Drag Queen, Ginger Minj, Jujubee, Todrick Hall, and Lance Bass.

Season 9 of RuPaul's Drag Race sees 13 queens competing for the title of America's Next Drag Superstar, including Trinity Taylor — who won the title of Miss Pulse in 2011 at the Orlando nightclub — and London-based performer Charlie Hides. <iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:logotv.com:af6644a4-aee7-4e69-9437-0c66583e4061" width="512" height="288" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" class="" scrolling="no" resize="0" replace_attributes="1" name=""></iframe>{®4ÛnÓo5o‡6Ùí8ÛNÞÝݶÛ~šï^ãw<

Check out an all-new preview of RuPaul's Drag Race season 9 above.