5 Drag Race Winners Who Spoke Out AGAINST the Show
Sasha Velour
Her iconic rose petal reveal will live on in “Drag Race” herstory. However, season 9’s Sasha Velour joined scores of other fans and contestants protesting RuPaul’s remarks about transgender drag queens not being allowed to compete on the show. Tweeting in 2018, Sasha offered unqualified and direct support of the trans community and the legitimacy of trans drag queens. Sasha’s statement of support was a direct response to the controversy. In fact, she was clear that “Drag Race” itself is not the be-all, end-all of drag as an artform. RuPaul has since reversed her position on the matter, with more openly trans contestants competing in years since.
Monét X Change
The all winners “All Stars” season was as much a victory run for eight of the show’s champions as it was a competition in its own right. However, some fans called foul when the final showdown between finalists Monét X Change and Jinkx Monsoon was not the deciding factor. Jinkx Monsoon was declared the Queen of All Queens. Monét insists that she “dog-walked” Jinkx in the “Swish Swish” lip sync. While she knew that moments get cut for story reasons, she was also not shy about expressing her belief the show removed her best bits to make the finish look closer than it was.
Aquaria
Season 10 winner Aquaria has been notably critical of the “Drag Race” fandom since her win, speaking about the abusive, toxic, and often racist online behavior directed at many queens of color. However, she’s also made some pointed remarks toward the show itself. After hosting the season 11 cast reveal, Aquaria spoke against the format of the livestream. Instead of welcoming the new cast and celebrating their art, co-hosts Aquaria and figure skater Adam Rippon were tasked with putting the new cast through a series of embarrassing tasks. Aquaria spoke up immediately in hastily-deleted tweets, decrying the entire farce of reveal.
Yvie Oddly
After participating in the show’s all winners “All Stars” season, the show’s 11th winner, Yvie Oddly, shared her displeasure at her “Drag Race” experience. She didn’t mince words either. In a string of tweets from 2023, she accused the producers of being “greedy,” “calculating,” “capitalist culture thieves.” She has also spoken at length about how the show portrayed her experience with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Her criticisms of the show have continued, as she’s explained her run-ins with racist factions of the fandom and the way “Drag Race” commodifies their talents at the expense of their humanity.
King Tyra (Tyra Sanchez)
Category is “America’s Next Drag Superstar,” not “America’s Next Top Best Friend.” No one lived up to that difference more than season 2 champion King Tyra. In the years since, fans of the show and even judge Michelle Visage questioned Tyra’s deservingness. Meanwhile, he’s since renounced the show, the name Tyra Sanchez, and the fandom, likening the whole experience to a toxic relationship. More than that, his often abrasive if not downright hostile response to all things “Drag Race”-related has only seen him and the fans double down on mutual hatred. As recently as January 2026, Tyra was threatening to sue RuPaul, Michelle Visage, and production company World of Wonder.
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