King Tyra, best known under his former stage name Tyra Sanchez, has announced an apparent lawsuit against RuPaul, Michelle Visage, and World of Wonder (WOW) Productions, alleging “intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation, false light, and tortious interference with prospective economic advantage,” according to a Statement of Claim he posted to social media.
In a Facebook post, the winner of the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race claimed there has been a “systematic and malicious campaign” to “discredit and destroy [his] career and livelihood.”
Tyra, who posts on Facebook under his birth name, James Ross, outlined a list of personal complaints against the production company and the two public figures he claims are responsible.
Those complaints include Visage repeatedly stating that she would have advocated for fellow contestant Raven to win instead of Tyra — despite Visage not joining the judging panel until season three — as well as claims of “intentional humiliation” stemming from a scripted audience question during a DragCon 2017 panel discussion and a 2018 police report filed by WOW accusing Tyra of threatening to “blow up DragCon.”
Tyra has been involved in multiple online controversies since his 2010 season victory.
In 2017, Tyra posted a mock obituary for fellow season two contestant Morgan McMichaels, linking it to his Soundcloud page. McMichaels quickly denounced the stunt, saying it was an act of retaliation after she indirectly got Tyra removed from a drag event celebrating her birthday.
Tyra initially apologized for the incident, but later reversed course and has since referenced it in his lawsuit against WOW, citing McMichaels’ All-Stars 3 entrance, during which she exclaimed, “I look pretty good for a dead bitch!”
RuPaul, Visage, or WOW have yet to publicly respond to Tyra’s post or his pending legal action.
In a surprise appearance on Sunday, Nicki Minaj addressed Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025, an annual conference aimed at younger MAGA activists, where she reaffirmed her recent anti-transgender views.
The rapper built her career with the help of a deeply devoted fanbase known as “Barbz,” many of whom are gay men. At the event, the “Super Bass” singer repeated the phrase “Boys, be boys” while seated on stage beside conservative lightning-rod Erika Kirk.
She continued her attacks on California Governor Gavin Newsom at the December 21 event, while offering effusive praise for the president and vice president.
Fredi Rivera will serve 21 years in prison after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter for the September 2023 fatal shooting of gay rights activist Daniel Landeros in Bakersfield’s Yokuts Park.
While Rivera, 29, agreed to the plea deal -- downgraded from an initial first-degree murder charge -- he refused to admit guilt in the 43-year-old’s death, according to Bakersfield NBC affiliate KGET.
The plea deal makes it more difficult to bring civil lawsuits against Rivera, for whom a guilty plea would have served as a formal admission of fault in Landeros’s death.
"Are you asking the kinkiest thing we've done?" came the typically bold response from Nymphia Wind.
That wasn't precisely the question I had posed to her and sister international drag superstar Plastique Tiara as we discussed the duo's upcoming performance at Mid-Atlantic Leather's main event party, Kinetic Presents KINK: Double Trouble. But since Nymphia brought it up, do tell.
"Well, when in London, you explore," Nymphia said, coyly referencing her time on the city's nightlife scene as a baby queen, years before becoming Season 16 winner of RuPaul's Drag Race.
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