Drag Race star Shangela responds after new sexual assault accusation
Multiple allegations of sexual assault have been made against Drag Race star Shangela. (Getty/ Santiago Felipe)
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shangela has denied a new allegation of sexual assault after a previous alleged rape lawsuit was settled in 2024.
On Monday (24 February), Vanjie: 24 Hours of Love star Eric Poff, who performed under the pseudonym Dakota Payne, reportedly filed a civil lawsuit against Darius Jeremy (“DJ”) Pierce, who performs under the drag name Shangela, in New York’s Supreme Court, Rolling Stone reported.
According to the news outlet, Poff accused Pierce of sexually assaulting him in October 2017 while they were filming the movie Hurricane Bianca 2. Poff, a production assistant, claimed he went drinking with Pierce in New York while creating the film.
Poff claimed that his drink was spiked and that he blacked out, though he did not specify who he thought spiked the drink. He then alleged that when he regained consciousness, an unknown man and Pierce sexually assaulted him in Pierce’s hotel room.
Pierce has vehemently denied the allegations.
Addressing the allegations on Tuesday (25 February) in an Instagram post, Pierce described the lawsuit as “BS”, and claimed he had been falsely accused.
“Being falsely accused in the most heinous ways is very difficult to endure. I’m advised to stay silent, and I’m doing my best to continue on without engaging in a back and forth with dishonest people seeking money or a moment. ‘It’s not worth it,’ I tell myself,” he wrote.
“Even though NONE of these false claims have ever prevailed against me… My career, my character and even my family have suffered.”
“Their goal is to characterize a successful Black, gay drag queen as a threat. But my goal is to never let evil win. I will continue to fight back with the truth, and with time, I know the truth will prevail,” Pierce added.
In 2023, Pierce, 43 was accused of rape in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by former production assistant Daniel McGarrigle, who accused Pierce of assaulting him. Pierce denied the allegation, and McGarrigle dropped the lawsuit in January 2024. The parties reached a settlement in February that year.
In March 2024, an investigation by Rolling Stone detailed five further allegations of sexual assault, spanning from 2012 to 2018.
Pierce has denied all allegations.
Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of sexual violence. If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
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