Willam & Reuben Kaye Tell Us The Ingredients For A Truly Brutal Drag Roast

What makes a good drag roast?

“The guide to a good roast or read is finding something that is kind of true about someone, but finding a way to laugh at it,” legendary drag queen Willam informs us.

“And then making sure that it comes from a place of like, ribbing. You’re cutting them to bleed, you’re not cutting to kill, you know? So you want it kind of like tongue-in-cheek, if you can.”

If there’s anyone who knows how to read people to filth, it’s Willam – co-host of the hit Race Chaser podcast, and one of RuPaul’s Drag Race’s most infamous rulesbreakers. 

Famous for her unfiltered humour and viral commentary, Willam became one of the most talked-about contestants in Drag Race history following her appearance – and subsequent disqualification on Season 4. 

And Australia will soon have a chance to experience in person the joys of the sharp side of Willam’s tongue, along with other iconic queens from Drag Race, as part of the Australian-first Drag Roast 2026 national tour, set to travel across Australia in July. 

Described as a “high energy live spectacle blending drag, stand up comedy, lip sync performances and outrageous celebrity roast culture into one gloriously unfiltered night out”, the limited-run winter tour will visit Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Newcastle, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth.

Hosted by the brilliant and also sharp-tongued Reuben Kaye, the international and Australian cast includes Art Simone, Raja, Darlene Mitchell, Jane Don’t, Nicole Paige Brooks, Thorgy Thor and Willam, each bringing a distinct style of comedy, glamour and performance to the stage.

Chatting to Willam, we ask why drag lends itself so seamlessly to the art of the roast.

“Drag queens are good at roasting people because we usually are the ones that find a way to make light of terrible things. [We] make people enjoy the fact that they maybe can’t see Whitney Houston, so they get the closest thing to it, which is maybe a girl doing a ballad in a bathtub with a burger. Who knows?” Willam says.

“Drag lends itself to the lowest common denominator, underdog, ribbing, roasting – oh, you’re wearing that big old wig again, girl? That type of thing.”

Reuben agrees, telling us: “I’m gonna tell you what I told 3 of the Brisbane Broncos when we shared a jacuzzi. If you’re not willing to cause permanent damage then you’re in the wrong place.”

Roasts are a beloved part of comedy culture in the US, but seem to be less common here in Australia – so I had to wonder if the humour and format will translate easily for our audiences.

“The humour definitely does translate ,” Willam says. “Australia has had a legendary lineup of queens throughout the years, from Dame Edna, and Courtney Act, and the Priscilla tribe, of all that.”

Reuben adds that roasting is actually a natural state of being for the average Aussie. 

“We don’t have a roast tradition because roasting each other is our national love language. We don’t need lights, ticketing and marketing. We do it instinctively. If anything I think the queens from overseas are gonna be shocked at how brutal we can be.”

“If anything [roast humour] is quintessentially Australian,” Reuben continues. “Isn’t this the monoculture Pauline Hanson dreams of?

Drag Roast 2026 travels across Australia from 16–28 July – find out more at itdevents.com.