Arts & Entertainment

Pearl says ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ producers banned her from ‘All Stars’

The season seven contestant says the interaction with Ru ‘broke my spirit’

Published

8 years ago

August 27, 2018

Mariah Cooper

Pearl (Photo courtesy Project Publicity)

Season seven “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant Pearl claims the show’s producers banned her from appearing on an “All Stars” season because of a revealing interview she did about RuPaul.

On “Hey Qween,” Pearl says her interaction with Ru “broke my spirit.”

“We were filming a segment, just kind of chatting, bantering together,” Pearl says. “Then the camera went down for a moment, and I turned to RuPaul and said, ‘Oh my god, I just wanna say thank you so much, like, it’s such an honor to be here, such a pleasure to meet you,’ just giving her everything I ever wanted to say. She turned to me and said, ‘Nothing you say matters unless that camera is rolling.’”

“That broke my spirit, and that is the reason why I had one foot in, one foot out the entire time I was on that show. Maybe that was me being petty, maybe that was me thinking it should’ve been something I never should’ve expected it to be, but in that moment, it was so heartbreaking because I idolized her, I worshipped her, and I felt like it was so disrespectful… so Hollywood, rotted and gross. How could you say that to someone who’s just, like, obsessed with you?” she continued.

Pearl followed up that interview with a video claiming that “RuPaul’s Drag Race” producers informed her she would not be invited onto an “All Stars” season because of the comments.

“If you wanna know the real T, I had a producer from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ call me after the interview aired and guaranteed me that I would never come back and do ‘All Stars.’ Now, I was never dumb enough to think I would be invited back for ‘All Stars,’ and I was definitely not gunning for it at all, but to openly punish me for being honest about a situation that happened with me after four years of silence is disgusting and shameful. This narrative about how we, Drag Race contestants, owe our lives to ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ that needs to completely change. I’m very sorry to inform you, but I’m finally at the place in my life where I am confident enough to know that I would have been somebody with or without ‘Drag Race,’” Pearl says.

According to Pearl, other queens told her they had similar experiences with RuPaul.

She also urged her supporters not to send hate to RuPaul and praised her for having a “wealth of knowledge.”

Watch below.

Related Topics:Hey Qween Pearl RuPaul's Drag Race

Up Next

Watch: gay dads criticized for raising a child on ‘What Would You Do?’

Don't Miss

Cher releases ‘SOS’ cover from ABBA tribute album

FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

Photos

PHOTOS: Fredericksburg Pride March and Festival

LGBTQ celebration held in historic Virginia town

Published

19 hours ago

June 29, 2026

Michael Key

A scene from the 2026 Fredericksburg Pride March. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The sixth annual Fredericksburg Pride March was held in downtown Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, June 27. Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chair Deuntay Diggs led the march alongside Fredericksburg City Council Member Jannan W. Holmes. The Fredericksburg Pride Festival took place at Riverfront Park after the march. Bree Fram was the featured speaker.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

View on Threads

Egypt

Iran, Egypt play in World Cup ‘Pride Match’

FIFA allowed Pride flags inside Seattle stadium

Published

2 days ago

June 28, 2026

Michael K. Lavers

(Screen capture via KOMO News/YouTube)

Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.

Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.

Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”

Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.

FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.

“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”

Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.

“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”

“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”

Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.

“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.