All the Drag Race stars who have openly beefed with RuPaul over the years
When hasn't there been chaos at this point?!
If there’s one thing RuPaul’s Drag Race guarantees besides jaw-dropping lip-syncs and glitter explosions, it’s drama. But while most of the chaos plays out between the queens themselves, every now and then the friction spills upward, directly toward the show’s matriarch, Mama Ru. From public clapbacks to messy interviews, several Drag Race alums have gone on record with less-than-glowing words about RuPaul, the franchise, or the way things are run behind the Werk Room curtain. Here’s a rundown of the queens who have openly butted heads with Ru over the years.
Pearl vs RuPaul
One of the most famous Drag Race feuds came courtesy of season seven’s Pearl. Folks will never forget the awkward Untucked moment when she admitted to RuPaul that she sometimes felt a disconnect. Ru’s cold response? “Nothing you say matters unless that camera is rolling,” according to Pink News.
The comment shook Pearl to her core, and years later, she revealed that exchange essentially killed her motivation to compete. Pearl also claimed she was never invited back for an All Stars season, strongly suggesting it was because she dared to speak out about Ru’s behind-the-scenes attitude.
The Vixen vs RuPaul
Drag Race season 10’s The Vixen was never one to bite her tongue, and her conflict with RuPaul put alleged systemic issues within the franchise under a spotlight. During the reunion episode, Ru tried to play therapist, asking The Vixen why she was so “combative.” The Vixen famously walked off stage.
The fallout was explosive. While Ru attempted to cast herself as a mentor who wanted to help, The Vixen insisted that the show had no interest in protecting queens of colour when they faced online abuse, per Them.
In a 2018 interview with INTO, The Vixen was asked: “What do you think about RuPaul telling you several times that you have a choice to be silent?”
She replied: “I think that sends a horrible message to people of colour who want to be on the show, people of colour who watch the show, that their only option is to be silent or to be persecuted. That’s exactly what I was talking about in London: you feel like you have no voice in this world. Why would anyone want to put that message out?”
Speaking to Gay Times in 2019, she also said: “I was voted on ‘most influential’ lists because of the things that I spoke about on the show, and I got a lot of love and appreciation from the community for bringing up issues.”
Willam vs RuPaul
When it comes to Willam and RuPaul’s beef, it was a case of not only breaking the rules but breaking the silence, too. No list of Drag Race beefs is complete without season four’s Willam. Famously disqualified mid-season for “breaking the rules,” Willam has since built an entire brand on spilling Drag Race tea.
Over the years, she’s accused production of shady manipulation, criticised RuPaul’s iron grip on the franchise, and revealed behind-the-scenes details that many queens tiptoe around. Perhaps the most striking critique came when Willam called out Ru for her comments about trans performers. When Ru suggested in a 2018 interview that transitioning queens wouldn’t fit the competition, Willam was one of the loudest voices of dissent. She’s continued to jab at Ru in podcasts, YouTube videos, and interviews, making her one of RuPaul’s most outspoken critics.
Gia Gunn vs RuPaul
Gia Gunn has never shied away from voicing her frustration with Ru. Gia, who came out as transgender after her original season six run, returned for All Stars season four and clashed not only with fellow queens but with Ru’s stance on trans competitors.
The Drag Race star has repeatedly blasted RuPaul in interviews, calling her unwilling to evolve with the times. She later revealed she confronted Ru about this during filming, but the conversation was edited out of the final cut.
In a 2019 interview with Metro, Gia said: “I did [talk to RuPaul]. Of course, it wasn’t aired… which was a little disappointing. I very well knew that none of that was going to air because the show is not about making her look anything but great.”
Speaking to Out Magazine in 2024, Gia also touched on the subject of her fallout with Ru in All Stars season four. She said: “I’ve talked about it before, but my experience with her was just not warm.”
Out continued to add: “Gia went on to reference RuPaul’s infamous interview with The Guardian, where Ru talked about trans contestants not competing on Drag Race — a stance that RuPaul has apologised for, and an issue that the show has solved in subsequent years.”
Courtney Act vs RuPaul
Courtney Act of Drag Race season six, revealed to Brooke Blurton and Matty Mills on an episode of First Things First, that she “hasn’t communicated with RuPaul in a long time” and feels she was sidelined, per News.au. She even joked about not being included in Ru’s Christmas card list after years of exclusion. Despite fan interest in her becoming a host of Drag Race Down Under, she confirmed she was never approached.
Once upon a time, RuPaul apparently asked Courtney Act to be in her band, but things clearly went left and she’s been blocked on social media since 2015.
Tammie Brown vs RuPaul
Season one queen Tammie Brown gave Drag Race one of its most unforgettable reunion moments when she clapped back at RuPaul on stage. After Ru told her she had forgotten she was fabulous, Tammie snapped back with the now-iconic line: “You both called me losers, and I don’t see you out there walking children in nature.” She followed it up with the equally legendary “‘Scuse your mouth.”
While it wasn’t an ongoing feud, this sharp moment of defiance cemented Tammie in Drag Race history as one of the few queens bold enough to openly challenge Mama Ru to her face.
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