'RuPaul's Drag Race' Star Shangela Accused of Rape by 'We're Here' Crew Member, Drag Queen Denies 'Totally Untrue' Allegations
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shangela was accused of raping a former We’re Here crew member this week, RadarOnline.com has learned, although the drag star has denied the “totally untrue” allegations.
According to a lawsuit filed against Shangela – whose real name is Darius Jeremy Pierce – in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, former We’re Here production assistant Daniel McGarrigle claimed the 41-year-old drag queen sexually assaulted him after a crew party for the popular HBO series in February 2020.
McGarrigle claimed the alleged rape took place in a Louisiana hotel room after Shangela “overpowered” his purported victim.
McGarrigle further claimed that he did not report the alleged incident sooner because he feared he would lose his job on the HBO series, and that Shangela continued to sexually harass him until he quit his job with the show one year later in 2021.
Shangela’s alleged victim ultimately reported the purported incident to the HBO show’s creators in September 2021 and subsequently filed a report with the Ruston, Louisiana Police Department in November 2022.
In a statement to the Los Angeles Times published on Wednesday, Shangela denied McGarrigle’s rape allegations and revealed an “external investigation” already concluded that his accuser’s claims are “completely without merit.”
“I can’t begin to explain how hurt and disgusted I am by these totally untrue allegations,” Shangela told the LA Times. “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,” he continued. “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.”
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“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,” Shangela concluded. “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.”
Buckingham Television, the company that produces We’re Here for HBO, was also named in McGarrigle’s newly filed lawsuit.
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According to a spokesperson for the production company, Buckingham Television launched an investigation into McGarrigle’s allegations in 2021 and found that there was “insufficient evidence” to support the accusations against Shangela.
“Buckingham Television, the production company for We’re Here, received a complaint late summer 2021 regarding an incident that was alleged to have occurred in early 2020,” a rep for the show said.
“Buckingham and HBO take the safety and well-being of personnel on our shows very seriously, and Buckingham immediately launched an investigation,” the rep continued. “The investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support these allegations.”