RuPaul’s Drag Race: Utica Queen Apologizes For Offensive Jokes About Weight

There’s nothing like a RuPaul’s Drag Race roast. The queens are masters of sass and experts at savage, but respectful, insults—at least most of the time. Sometimes, the queens aim a little below the belt, and that’s when they run into problems. On a recent episode, Utica Queen screwed up royally on her season’s roast when her lighthearted ribbing quickly became offensive. She’s since realized her error and has apologized to those she insulted as well as fans of the show.

Judges have praised Utica’s unique and artistic looks on the runway, but there’s no denying she’s struggled more than other queens in the competition. This week the queens participated in a roast and Utica managed to insult everyone she mentioned, and not in a funny way. Utica compared judge Ross Matthews to Pumbaa from The Lion King, called guest judge Loni Love’s comedy career “hard to swallow,” and most egregiously took a shot at plus-size queen Nina West, saying “I thought you could speak whale.”

Utica realized quickly that she had crossed a line, and has since gone on social media to apologize for the misstep. “I want to apologize my performance in this ep of DR,” Utica said on Twitter. “Especially to @LoniLove, @michellevisage, and @NinaWest, the jokes were in bad taste and my attempt at roast humor was for the lack of better words, horrible…Making fun of people’s size is not okay. I’m truly sorry.” The queen also took to Instagram to address her performance, calling the episode “uncomfortable” because of her “crude jokes.”

The performance did go too far, especially because the jokes weren’t even funny. Nina West took it in stride, and replied to Utica on Twitter, “Babe!!! It is a roast, and we were all in on it and fully aware it was a roast. Give yourself a little grace.” But not all viewers felt the same. For many, the jokes were triggering, and it reminded them of insults they’d been hearing their whole lives. Utica does seem to be a thoughtful queen who genuinely realized what she did was wrong, so most fans are willing to move on.

On this season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, many of the queens are thriving in the competition, but Utica’s failed comedy act landed her in the bottom two, and she was sent home. Utica’s apology seems authentic, and many fans are willing to give her the benefit of the doubt that she screwed up, but learned from her mistakes. Utica may not have won the crown this season, but with a little drag evolution she could land herself a spot on All Stars.

Source: Utica Queen/Twitter, Utica Queen/Instagram

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Maggie Mead
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Maggie Mead is a reality tv writer who loves crafting a good story and can hold her breath for at least 10 seconds. When she isn’t rambling on about why Great British Bake Off contestants should never attempt a bake they haven’t practiced, she’s probably wrangling cats or striking a yoga pose.

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