James Ross won RuPaul’s Drag Race season 2 with his now-retired Tyra Sanchez drag persona, but he is now urging fans to stop bringing him up in posts or discussions related to the series and forget that he was crowned America’s Next Drag Superstar. The strenuous relationship between Ross and Drag Race can be traced all the way back to 2015, when Ross told a fan to kill themselves in response to the fan’s tweet containing a gun emoji. In 2017, Ross got involved in a feud with season 2 contestant Tatianna and season 4 runner-up Phi Phi O’Hara. The feud escalated to perilous proportions when Ross made statements on his Instagram page that were perceived as death threats directed toward Tatianna and Phi Phi. As a consequence, Ross was banned from attending RuPaul’s DragCon events in 2018.

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In October 2019, Ross published a heartfelt letter to his fans, stating that he had said things without thinking them through and had reacted out of fear to the negativity thrown his way. Ross then apologized for his online behavior during that period of time, explaining that the negative feelings he had felt were not representative of the person he really is. This public apology prompted many fans to wonder if Ross was trying to make amends with the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise and go back to working as a full-time drag performer. However, these theories were squashed in February 2020, when Ross posted a new statement claiming that drag had always just been a job and that he no longer wanted to be referred by his drag name and persona.

Now, James Ross is going one step further and asking Drag Race fans to completely forget about him. In a series of tweets published on Sunday, June 7, Ross wrote: “I want absolutely nothing to do with your toxic community. Stop tagging me in your posts, stop including me with your winners. Just forget me.” Ross also brings up the late Sahara Davenport – who also competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 2 and passed away in 2012 – alleging that Sahara performed oral sex on him while Shangela was in the room. It is important to note that Sahara Davenport had been in a relationship with season 3 contestant Manila Luzon since 2006. Thus, unless the couple had a polyamorous relationship, Ross’ allegations may indicate that Sahara cheated on Manila.

On Drag Race season 12, there was a collective effort between queens, fans, and producers to publicly ignore disqualified contestant Sherry Pie. Ross’ statements seem to indicate that he wants the public to do the same to him, even when it comes to discussing his talents as a drag performer or celebrating his victory on season 2. Over the years, there have been a few contestants who chose to detach themselves from the RuPaul’s Drag Race brand. However, this is the first time that a member of the so-called Drag Race Winner’s Circle asks fans to stop celebrating his victory.

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In 2020, Drag Race is more popular than ever. However, it is certainly not unheard-of for an artist to retire an artistic expression that no longer suits him or herself. Hopefully, RuPaul’s Drag Race fans will be able to respect this new chapter in Ross’ life, allowing him to explore different creative endeavors and blossom into the artist he wants to become.

Source: James Ross

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Bernardo Sim
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Bernardo Sim writes about TV shows, queer culture, & Brazilian media. Born and raised in the Amazon, he now lives in South Florida. he/him

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