'Drag Race' Winner Yvie Oddly Claims Producers Live in Luxury While 'Sleep-Deprived' Contestants Are 'Drastically Underpaid'
May 31 2023, Published 1:25 p.m. ET
RuPaul's Drag Race winner Yvie Oddly claimed it took "over a year" to receive her $100k cash prize in a series of explosive tweets, RadarOnline.com has learned, revealing that while the show is known for its glitz and glamor, not all is glittering behind the scenes.
"The drag artists are and have ALWAYS been the lifeblood of what makes this franchise great," the season 11 contestant wrote via Twitter on Tuesday, praising what each star brings to the table including the viral "looks, catchphrases, and memes," as well as top-tier reality drama.
Oddly (real name: Jovan Jordan Bridges) said that while the showcasing of talented queer stars has helped the community, the show and its producers are "ignoring the irreparable damage they cause, and creating a chokehold monopoly on how drag artists can succeed."
"They f--- with real people's lives, career opportunities, and health. They drive themselves home in their luxury cars when their contestants are sleep-deprived, depressed, and DRASTICALLY underpaid for their contributions to the cultural phenomenon," the TV sensation claimed. "The producers are often the greediest, most-calculating, capitalist culture thieves."
As for the prize money, a spokesperson for Voss Events who also manage Ms.Oddly told RadarOnline.com exclusively, "Management asked that Yvie's prize money be held as we were in the process of establishing her LLC to receive payment. The money was wired shortly after her business account was opened and payment requested."
As we previously reported, a bombshell report from Vice in 2021 said that contestants have to shell out a lot of dough when they appear on the show. Several former stars and the designers who dressed them said it's normal for people to spend anywhere from $4,000 to $20,000 to stand out from the competition and wow the judges.
"I did not spend a lot of money," 2016 winner Bob the Drag Queen confessed at the time. "I realistically spent maybe, maybe $3,000 to go on Drag Race."
Kelly said RuPaul's show is "filthy" after seeing the controversial look.
It was noted she later spent an additional $3,000 on her two finale looks. "If I went back on Drag Race now, I'd probably be spending $20 – 40,000," the former contestant said.
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The negatives unfortunately came with the territory, Oddly tweeted, making it clear that she is still "so thankful for Drag Race" and the positive impact it had on her life.
RadarOnline.com has reached out to a show representative for comment.
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