'Totally untrue': 'RuPaul’s Drag Race' star Shangela accused of raping former 'We’re Here' crew member
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Shangela, a contestant on 'RuPaul's Drag Race', was accused of raping a former 'We're Here' crew member this week. The drag queen has denied the allegations, calling them "totally untrue." Daniel McGarrigle, a former production assistant for the HBO series 'We're Here', alleged in a lawsuit that Shangela, real name Darius Jeremy Pierce, 41, sexually assaulted him in February 2020 following a crew party.
According to McGarrigle, Shangela "overpowered" him before allegedly raping him in a hotel room in Louisiana. McGarrigle further asserted that Shangela continued to harass him until he left the HBO program one year later, in 2021, and that he delayed reporting the alleged incident because he was concerned about losing his position on the show.
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In the end, McGarrigle informed the producers of the HBO show in September 2021 and the Ruston, Louisiana, Police Department in November 2022 about the alleged assault.
In a statement to the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, Shangela denied McGarrigle's allegations of rape and stated that an "external investigation" had already determined that his accuser's claims were "completely without merit."
'Hurt and disgusted'
"I can't begin to explain how hurt and disgusted I am by these totally untrue allegations," Shangela told the Los Angeles 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," Shangela went on. "His 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."
'Ignorance, bigotry, and prejudice'
"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 said. "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." In McGarrigle's latest complaint, Buckingham Television has also been mentioned as a producer of 'We're Here' for HBO, as reported by Radar Online.
'Insufficient evidence'
Buckingham Television, according to a spokeswoman for the production firm, initiated an investigation into McGarrigle's charges in 2021 and discovered "insufficient evidence" to corroborate Shangela's accusations.
"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," according to a representative for the show. "Buckingham and HBO take the safety and well-being of personnel on our shows very seriously, and Buckingham immediately launched an investigation," said the spokeswoman, as per reports.