'RuPaul's Drag Race' Star Shangela Responds to Multiple Allegations, Including Reported Rape: 'It Has No Basis In Fact'
Shangela is speaking out.
The 42-year-old RuPaul’s Drag Race alum and Dancing With the Stars finalist is addressing multiple allegations brought forth by Daniel McGarrigle, a former assistant on his HBO show, We’re Here.
The lawsuit was filed against Shangela, legal name Darius Jeremy “DJ” Pierce and Buckingham Television, which employed the former assistant during Season 1 in 2019.
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His claim alleges sexual assault, gender violence, violation of the Ralph Civil Rights Act of 1976, false imprisonment, negligence, sexual harassment, and the company’s alleged failure to prevent sexual harassment, via EW.
The lawsuit alleges that Shangela raped Daniel in February of 2020, after production wrapped on We’re Here‘s “Ruston, Louisiana” episode.
The suit claims “Pierce was heavily flirtatious with McGarrigle and insisted on buying him drinks,” and that Shangela asked him to come back to his hotel to help him pack for a flight.
He alleges that he “woke up to a cold liquid being poured down the side of his face,” which he claims were poppers, and then “felt Pierce on the lower half of his body, rubbing his penis against his buttocks, attempting to insert himself into his anus.” He says he attempted to resist and that he did not immediately report the incident out of fear of losing his job, and “tried to maintain a cordial relationship with Pierce” until resigning from the show in July of 2021.
He seeks punitive damagers, “civil penalties allowable by law,” attorney fees, and court costs.
Shangela responded, saying he was “disgusted” by the “totally untrue allegations” and that he intends to defend himself.
“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.”
“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. 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,” he continued.
Buckingham Television indicated that it received a complaint in late summer 2021, saying “Buckingham and HBO take the safety and well-being of personnel on our shows very seriously,” and the company “immediately launched an investigation” that “concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support these allegations.”
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