RuPaul’s Drag Race Season Two winner Tyra Sanchez (King Tyra) attracted ire on social media after tweeting a repulsive comment against another drag performer who recently passed away. Fellow Drag Race contestant Kandy Muse and RuPaul rebuked Tyra’s statement.
James Lee Williams (The Vivienne) passed away on January 5, 2025. Fans mourned, and RuPaul himself was devastated. This didn’t concern Tyra, who couldn’t resist the chance to type something snarky against the deceased drag artist. Tyra quote-tweeted a diss from The Vivienne from 2020. “Bet Tyra was fuming when she realized Netflix spoiled the win too. Sorry, gal. You tried, though.”
Tyra mockingly wrote in response, “Yet it doesn’t compare to the fumes of the crematorium.” This callous reply was given only a day after The Vivienne’s passing. Tyra had five years to respond but chose to hold a grudge and disrespect them in their moment of tragedy. This stunt naturally infuriated social media users who came across Tyra’s post, as well as figures from RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Unrepentant amid backlash
RuPaul’s Drag Race alumna Kandy Muse responded in defense of The Vivienne. She replied to Tyra, “I’ve defended you for years, but now you can absolutely go f— yourself, and if our paths were to ever cross, it’s absolutely on sight, b—, it’s not a threat it’s a promise, you disgusting person.” Tyra refused to apologize and told Kandy Muse to “prepare” for her funeral instead.
These awful comments seemed to have reached RuPaul as well. Hours after Tyra’s tweet, RuPaul’s official TikTok account reposted a clip from season two of RuPaul’s Drag Race, where she slapped Tyra Sanchez over an Acting Chops skit. RuPaul’s shady response garnered online praise. One X user wrote, “Slap her again for me.” Another user chimed in and said, “And for real this time.” This doesn’t concern Tyra, who is now celebrating the amount of engagement he was getting on X over his controversial comment.
Published: Jan 9, 2025 02:31 pm