“RuPaul’s Drag Race” is having a moment. In its ninth season, which tapes its finale Friday night, the drag queen competition is experiencing its most-watched season ever — a true feat for a series that’s heading into double-digital territory. Plus, this past year, “Drag Race” won its first-ever Emmy with a best host award for the man behind the drag, RuPaul.

For Season 9, “Drag Race” moved to VH1 from its original network, Logo, which no doubt helped viewership, but RuPaul also attributes the show’s surging ratings and increased awareness to the global political climate.

“The fact that we moved to VH1 where more people can see it, it’s more accessible to people. Logo is part of the most expensive cable package, so that limits people who wanted to see it, but couldn’t afford to see it,” RuPaul tells Variety of the Viacom network shift. He adds, “And then, politically, there’s a great divide in our country and around the world. The 20th century sensibility is clashing with the 21st century forward thinking, and I think our show epitomizes 21st century forward thinking.”

“Drag Race’s” current season began this past March, not long after Donald Trump was inaugurated into office, and since, the LGBTQ community has been critical of the Trump Administration. RuPaul’s series, he says, epitomizes freedom, hope and promise. Read more via Variety