RuPaul's Drag Race Star Shangela Denies Sexual Assault Allegations
Darius Jeremy "DJ" Pierce, better known under his drag queen name Shangela, is speaking out after being accused of sexual assault.
According to court documents, Daniel McGarrigle, the production assistant on the HBO series We're Here, accused the RuPaul's Drag Race alum of sexually assaulting him after a crew party in February 2020.
McGarrigle alleged that Pierce overpowered him in a Louisiana hotel room and had sex with him despite McGarrigle pushing him away.
McGarrigle shared that he was scared to go public about the incident at the time due to fear of losing his job.
A year later, he quit the show and told executives about the alleged assault.
Daniel later filed a police report with the Ruston, La., Police Department in November 2022.
Pierce said in a statement to People that the claims are "totally untrue" and "personally offensive."
"I can't begin to explain how hurt and disgusted I am by these totally untrue allegations," Pierce said.
"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," Pierce added.
Pierce appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race as Shangela and is one of the most successful stars from the reality series, appearing in several shows, including Dancing With the Stars, and We're Here.
As always, we will keep you updated on any new developments.