Fans are not happy with RuPaul’s tribute to former Drag Race winner The Vivienne following their tragic death.
On Sunday night (January 5), it was announced that The Vivienne, also known as James Williams, had died at age 32. “Their family are heartbroken at the loss of their son, brother and uncle. They are so proud of the wonderful things James achieved in their life and career,” a statement read.
“We will not be releasing any further details. We please ask that James’s family are given the time and privacy they now need to process and grieve.”
Drag Race star called out for ‘disgusting’ message
Following their death, many tributes have poured in from fans and The Vivienne’s showbiz pals. However, things took an ugly turn when another Drag Race winner, King Tyra, also known as Tyra Sanchez, brought up an old tweet from The Vivienne in 2020 that read: “Bet Tyra was fuming when she Realised Netflix Spoiled the win Too. Sorry gal. You Tried though”.
On Monday (January 6), a day following the shock announcement, Tyra quoted the tweet, writing: “Yet it doesn’t compare to the fumes of the crematorium.” More disturbing comments were also posted by Tyra.
In response, fans were disgusted by the cold-hearted message. One user wrote: “This is vile. Not surprised though.” Another shared: “So disgusting.” “You are truly a disgusting human being,” a third remarked.
RuPaul tribute to The Vivienne’s death
In an Instagram post shared the same day, RuPaul paid tribute to The Vivienne.
“With a broken heart, I join the entire Drag Race universe in mourning the loss of The Vivienne—an incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being,” he wrote.
To accompany the post, RuPaul posted a snapshot of The Vivienne from many years ago, who was smiling next to him on his right.
While many were left feeling emotional, some of RuPaul’s followers were conflicted over the post, insisting they didn’t recognise The Vivienne in the image. They also demanded Tyra’s crown to be taken from them.
“Is it problematic that neither of those queens are The Vivienne?” one user questioned.
“Ru I love you, but your shady af for this pic,” another person shared.
“Take away Tyra’s crown please,” a third remarked.
“Please acknowledge Raven as the winner of Season 2 and remove Tyra’s legacy after her disgusting comments about Viv,” a fourth user said.
“Not sure it’s the best picture for an hommage …. Choices,” a fifth person insisted.
‘Let’s please keep the focus on Viv and mourning’
Others, meanwhile, commented that the post should be a place for remembering The Vivienne, and not further arguments.
“Can everyone please show some remorse for the loss of The Viv, rather than asking her to remove crowns from other winners. The disrespect is disgusting,” said one.
Another commented: “There’s a time and a place, not even 24 hours after her death announcement, and on a post to celebrate the Viv is not the place. Go give Tyra the [bleep] on her profile and let Ru grieve one of his gals.”
A third also said: “Let’s please keep the focus on Viv and mourning. If I was a family member, I’d be disheartened to seek comfort in the comments only to find so many making it about another queen who was rude and not worth clouding Ru’s personal condolences.”
Read more: The Vivienne’s ex-husband pays tribute to star following their death: ‘We loved each other so much’
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