With all of the drama that happens during any given season of RuPaul's Drag Race, you would think that there wouldn't be much left behind-the-scenes of this controversial reality TV competition. However, you would be wrong.
Even years after these queens end their season-run, they still pick fights with everyone from former and current competitors, the fans, and even host RuPaul. Tea is spilled, gossip is flung, and no secrets stay hidden for long. Even if you thought the show was fake, this drama certainly isn't.
Sometimes the feuds just boil down to which queen is the best queen. Other times, it's a snub or catty remark that sparks a social media war. However, all too often, these ladies get caught up in controversy for saying some incredibly offensive things about the LGBTQ community.
There just doesn't seem to be an end to the drama... and it all may just be even crazier than anything that ever went down onscreen.
From the ill-advised "She-male" segment to threats against DragCon to Pearl's epic stare down, here are the 20 Times Real Drama Between The RuPaul's Drag Race Cast Happened Off-Screen.
Sharon Needles And Phi Phi Had To Be Separated Off Set
Some fans have wondered whether or not the drama that happens onscreen is made up for the benefit of the viewers.
Do producers know how much we love catfights? Are the contestants really this angry all the time? Well, in the case of Sharon Needles versus Phi Phi O'Hara, the onscreen drama was all very real. It only got worse when the cameras weren't rolling-- just in a much more silent, cold shoulder sort of way.
According to Needles herself, there were no other fights offscreen. Everything that happened was actually aired, and she believes that if they had fought more, it would have been aired, too.
There was no editing to create a story that wasn't there. However, that doesn't mean they were friends offset. At first, Needles wondered if O'Hara was acting up her animosity for the cameras, but she quickly realized that it was all too real.
Needles revealed that she would attempt to invite O'Hara out to eat and the answer would always be a very unwelcoming no.
Not only that, but there was so much tension between the two competitors that they would have to arrive at filming locations in separate vehicles. They were constantly kept away from each other.
Tyra Sanchez Made Offensive Remarks About Raja
It all started when Tyra Sanchez threw shade at Drag Race season 9 winner, Sasha Velour. During an interview, when Velour's name was brought up, Sanchez pretended not to know who she was.
Well, Raja was having none of it, and responded to the shady interview with a simple eye roll emoji. Maybe that shouldn't seem like such a big deal, but it resulted in a major online blowout.
Sanchez responded to the emoji by calling Raja a "grandma" and suggesting that viewers run to the bathroom when Raja performs. Raja continued to call out Sanchez, calling the interview petty.
She went on to say that she did not feel self-conscious about her age and suggested that she and Sanchez move past their argument. However, that is definitely not what happened.
Sanchez went on a tirade, comparing Raja to Abu, the monkey in Disney's Aladdin. She also claimed to want to take her scepter and hit Raja in the face with it.
After backlash, Sanchez claimed that the reference to the monkey character was not meant to be racist, but was meant to be a reference to the inspiration behind Raja's name. '
Despite trying to make that clarification, Sanchez doubled down on the insults, changing her avatar to that of an image of the animated monkey.
Phi Phi Says She Was Edited To Be A Villain
Phi Phi O'Hara has a few things to say about her time on Drag Race. The competitor was quite upset about her run in 2016's All Stars, stating that she was edited to look like a villain.
O'Hara has constantly been billed as a Big Bad, and many viewers believed she was catty and manipulative. However, she doesn't see herself that way at all, and she believes if her story had been told properly, that fans wouldn't either.
O'Hara doesn't deny her behavior. She itted that she really did say the things that she did, but that it was all taken out of context.
According to O'Hara, the editing left out much of the context to her behavior, which only served to make her look manipulative. The former competitor said she wished that RuPaul would speak up about the way that Drag Race has been edited and that she would defend her competitors on the show.
O'Hara claims that this experience has led her to realize how awful the entertainment industry can be and that it has made it difficult for her to continue watching the show.
Phi Phi said the producers had promised her a redemption arc, and that they had ed her through a tough time in order to get her back on the show in the first place.
RuPaul Banned Transgender Competitors From The Show
You would think the host of a drag queen competition would be a little bit more progressive, but RuPaul has made some very problematic statements in the past.
One such comment, made earlier this year, caused a bit of a revolt against the reality competition, prompting backlash.
In an interview, RuPaul was asked to compare Drag Race with being transgender. RuPaul then itted that had it been known ahead of time that competitor Peppermint was transgender, she probably never would have been allowed on the show, especially if Peppermint had already begun the process of physical gender reassignment.
RuPaul claimed that actually going through the transition was different than simply identifying as a woman.
Peppermint had been worried about coming out, thinking that she would not "belong" on the show if she did. She felt that her ission had been treated as a "non-issue" at the time, but seemed to be somewhat disappointed at RuPaul's later remarks.
RuPaul initially made things worse, making the comparison of transitioning to that of using steroids as an athlete.
This only worsened the backlash and RuPaul eventually issued an apology. Peppermint called RuPaul's apology an "important step" but also noted that "gay men do not own the idea of gender performance."
Pearl Said RuPaul Was Super Rude BTS Of Their Stare Down
The stare down between Pearl and RuPaul is considered to be one of the most epic moments in all of Drag Race.
RuPaul walks up and compliments Max's "big personality" but then blatantly tells Pearl, to her face, that she does not have a big personality of her own. Pearl insists that she does, in fact, have a great personality.
At this point, RuPaul kind of goes on the defensive, saying that it was merely constructive criticism and that she meant to instill confidence in Pearl. Pearl calls RuPaul out, saying that the opposite effect had been the result and the two begin an epic stare down.
Finally, Pearl puts an end to the tension by uttering the now iconic phrase, "Do I have something on my face?"
Fans of the show loved this moment, thinking it was hilarious, catty, intense, and awkward. However, Pearl said there was more to the story that didn't show up onscreen.
Pearl indicated that she had actually dealt with 20 minutes of harassment without saying anything before the stare down happened for the cameras.
Pearl accused the show of being edited to specifically show her in an aggressive light and claimed that she loved RuPaul too much to actually have started the stare down unprovoked.
Carmen Carrera Hates Caitlyn Jenner
Caitlyn Jenner is a very controversial figure in the transgender community. Some commend her for her bravery and for speaking out about her experience publicly, while others condemn her for being selfish and attention-seeking, putting a bad face on the community.
Well, there's at least one more person who isn't a fan of Jenner-- Drag Race star Carmen Carrera. Carrera was very outspoken about her thoughts on Jenner, and they definitely aren't positive.
Carrera blasted Jenner for addressing the UK Parliament. According to the Drag Race contestant, Jenner should have focused on representing the transgender community in the US first.
Carrera implied that Jenner wasn't actually thinking about the transgender community at all, but was actually stoking her fame with her trip to the UK. She then suggested that Jenner should pick up the phone and have a conversation with her to learn how to better serve as a role model for the transgender community.
Carrera has commended Jenner on her bravery, but she has also claimed that Jenner needs to work on becoming more relatable.
She recommends getting to learn about the people of the community and their struggles and story as a start. The Drag Race star also conceded that Jenner's fame and experience are complicated.
Robbie Turner Might Have Faked A Car Crash
People expect a lot of drama from a reality TV show. Also, obviously, some fans even expect some of that drama to be manufactured, though it doesn't always hurt their love for the show.
However, in the case of Robbie Turner's alleged car crash earlier this year, maybe some fake drama is just too much. It's not really known what happened to Turner in her alleged accident, but that's the problem.
Nothing can be verified, which is a fact that has left fans criticizing her for apparently seeking attention in the worst way possible.
Turner had posted tweets claiming to have been in a car accident. She said that she had taken an Uber and that her driver had ended up ing away in the accident.
It was later revealed that no ride-sharing services had records of such a dangerous accident happening during the time frame in question. When asked what had provoked the claims, Turner said that she must have assumed there was an accident because she had slipped in the shower and had woken up with bruises.
She thought perhaps something had been slipped into her drink while she was out earlier that evening. She blamed her assumption of a crash on a very vivid dream.
Tyra Sanchez Told Fans Not To Attend RuPaul's DragCon
Tyra Sanchez may have won season 2 of Drag Race, but she still has some shade to throw at the reality series. Sanchez went on Facebook and posted what many considered to be a threat earlier this year.
A couple of months before 2018's DragCon, Sanchez warned people against attending the event. She told people to stay away, listing the exact date of May 12, 2018.
Her exact words concluding the post were, "Don't say I didn't warn you." Sanchez was likely lashing out, as she had been banned from the event after threatening violence against Tatianna and Phi Phi O'Hara.
Sanchez was informed that she would be able to attend DragCon as long as she gave a sincere apology. Instead, Sanchez refused, saying that she had already apologized and would not do so again.
Tatianna spoke out about Sanchez's attitude. She said that Sanchez had had a bad attitude in 2009, when she first became involved with the show, and that she still had a bad attitude in 2018.
Tatianna went on to claim that Sanchez would not have had any fans show up to see her at the convention, anyway.
The threats appear to have been idle, though, as DragCon 2018 took place earlier this month.
Carmen Carrera Let RuPaul Have It On The “Shemale” Segment
RuPaul's Drag Race is constantly controversial. Sometimes its over the drama between the contestants. Sometimes fans get up in arms over the chosen winner. Other times, there's simply too much offensive content for viewers not to say something.
Following backlash against a controversial 2014 segment titled "Female or Shemale", former contestant Carmen Carrera lent her own voice to the fray, speaking out about the use of the offensive language.
The segment depicted judges attempting to decide whether photos of body parts belonged to cisgender or transgender women. The producers of the show addressed the backlash in a sort of apology, but didn't actually mention the segment in their apology.
Instead, execs said that they were in of the transgender community and that they were dedicated to spreading love and .\
However, Carrera didn't feel like it was enough to make up for the offense that was caused. Carrera spoke out about the use of the term, saying that judging women of any kind in this manner was "getting old."
Monica Beverly Hillz also chided RuPaul on the use of the language, stating that it was not "cute" and that she has constantly fought to be accepted as a woman.
Aurora Sexton Put Contestants On Blast
Aurora Sexton has great respect for the LGBTQ community. She also has great respect for the many contestants who have been featured on Drag Race over the years.
However, in 2017, Sexton was appalled by the behavior of an unidentified season 9 contestant, and she let the internet know exactly what was on her mind.
Sexton began by commending the many professionals she has worked with over the years, stating that most of them have been nothing but kind, courteous, and accommodating... and most importantly, on time. Then, she went into a list of reasons for being so upset with the contestants of season 9.
According to Sexton, some of the contestants were late to an event, demanded drivers pay for multiple restaurant visits, demanded police protection, and refused to meet and greet with fans, among other things.
She wanted these ladies to understand that, while it's important to have standards, it's also important to remain humble. Sexton referred to the Drag Race experience as a gift that most have not ever had an opportunity to experience.
She also warned these contestants that people would eventually forget their costumes and performances, but that their attitudes would be forever.