‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Star Shangela Denies ‘Damaging’ Rape Accusation

Darius Jeremy “DJ” Pierce, better known under his drag queen name Shangela, has spoken out after a former crew member on the HBO series We’re Here accused the RuPaul’s Drag Race star of rape.

According to court documents, former production assistant Daniel McGarrigle claims that Pierce, one of the stars of HBO’s We’re Here, sexually assaulted him after a crew party in February 2020. McGarrigle accuses Pierce of overpowering him in a Louisiana hotel room and having sex with him despite McGarrigle screaming “no” and pushing him away.

McGarrigle adds that he didn’t report the alleged assault right away over the fear of losing his job. He eventually quit in 2021 after alleged sexual harassment from Pierce and reported his allegations to the show’s creators before filing a report with the Ruston, La., Police Department in November 2022.

He is seeking damages for sexual assault, sexual harassment, gender violence, false imprisonment, and negligence.

Pierce has denied the claims, calling them “totally untrue” and “personally offensive” to himself and his entire community.

“I can’t begin to explain how hurt and disgusted I am by these totally untrue allegations,” Pierce said in a statement to People. “They are personally offensive and perpetuate damaging stereotypes that are harmful not only to me but also to my entire community. An external investigation into this embittered individual’s claims previously concluded that they were completely without merit.”

“This newest filing is nothing but an attempt to shake down both me and a well-regarded television company. No one should be fooled: it has no basis in fact or in law, and it will not succeed,” Pierce continued.

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Pierce appeared in Seasons 2 and 3 of RuPaul’s Drag Race as his drag alter-ego Shangela and returned for the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars in 2018. He went on to star in three seasons of We’re Here, the HBO reality series that follows Pierce and fellow Drag Race alum Bob the Drag Queen and Eureka O’Hara.

“As a hardworking and outspoken drag entertainer for more than a decade, I know that I am far from alone in battling ignorance, bigotry and prejudice, all of which played a role in the filing of this complaint,” Pierce added. “That is why I will fight this entirely meritless lawsuit and not allow it to destroy me and those I love, or harm the causes we all stand for.”

Buckingham Television, which produces We’re Here and is also named in the lawsuit, released a statement saying they “received a complaint late summer 2021 regarding an incident that was alleged to have occurred in early 2020. Buckingham and HBO take the safety and well-being of personnel on our shows very seriously, and Buckingham immediately launched an investigation. The investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support these allegations.”