Fans and former stars of RuPaul's Drag Race were furious over second season winner Tyra mocking the death of British drag performer The Vivienne, who died over the weekend at 32 years of age.
Simon Jones, the publicist for James Lee Williams—a.k.a. "The Vivienne"—wrote an Instagram post on Sunday confirming the tragic news. Investigators said there were "no suspicious circumstances" tied to the drag star's death.
Williams was the winner of the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019 and competed again in the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars in 2022.
Following news of their death, Tyra—a stage name of James William Ross IV—reshared Williams' 2020 post on X (formerly Twitter), which read:
“Bet Tyra was fuming when she realised Netflix spoiled the win too. Sorry gal. You tried though."
The tweet referenced the streaming platform using a photo of Shea Couleé wearing her crown after winning the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
Ross captioned Williams' vintage tweet with:
“Yet it doesn’t compare to the fumes of the crematorium.”
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Former fans and supporters have now turned their backs on Ross for the vile message.
Two-time Drag Race finalist Kandy Muse was enraged over Ross' snarky post, writing:
"I've defended you for years but now you can absolutely go f'k yourself and if our path were to ever cross it's absolutely on sight bitch, it's not a threat it's a promise. you disgusting person."
To which Ross replied:
"Threat received. Prepare your funeral."
Fellow season two competitor Tatianna, who had an intense rivalry with Ross, wrote:
“Somehow she’s become even worse.”
People continued slamming him for the morbid joke at the expense of the late drag star.
Others found it utterly despicable and petty for Ross to use an aged tweet for the sake of throwing shade.
Ross first incited controversy in August 2016 when he told a social media user, "Girl kill yourself," in response to a Drag Race fan calling him "annoying."
In 2018, Ross was banned from attending the RuPaul's DragCon LA event after being accused of making terrorist threats against DragCon. Ultimately, there were no reports of any acts of violence at the event.
Over the weekend, William's publicist said The Vivienne was "an incredibly loved, warmhearted and amazing person."
The spokesperson continued:
"Their family are heartbroken at the loss of their son, brother and uncle. They are so proud of the wonderful things James achieved in their life and career."
“We will not be releasing any further details. We please ask that James’s family are given the time and privacy they now need to process and grieve," the statement concluded.
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AMC