Global Courant 2023-05-04 22:43:10
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” fan favorite Darius Jeremy “DJ” Pierce, who goes by the stage name Shangela, was charged with rape in a civil lawsuit filed Wednesday.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that Pierce raped one of the show’s former production assistants, Daniel McGarrigle, during the filming of the first season of his hit HBO show “We’re Here” in 2020. McGarrigle, 39, is seeking unspecified damages from Pierce, 42, and the show’s production company, Buckingham Television.
McGarrigle alleges the meeting took place in a hotel room in Monroe, Louisiana, after an after-work party in February 2020. The lawsuit states that Pierce bought and handed McGarrigle five shots of alcohol and two mixed drinks at the party, asking McGarrigle to come back . to Pierce’s hotel to help him pack for an early flight the next day.
In the hotel room, the suit says, McGarrigle “immediately vomited into the toilet.” Pierce then reportedly suggested that McGarrigle spend the night with him in his room, saying, “If you want to lay in my bed until you feel better, you can.” McGarrigle agreed, according to the lawsuit, and passed out on Pierce’s bed, fully clothed.
At some point during the evening, McGarrigle claims, he woke up with his pants pulled down and poppers — a liquid commonly used by gay men during anal sex — poured onto the side of his face. McGarrigle “then felt Pierce on the lower half of his body, rubbing his penis against his buttocks, as he attempted to insert himself into his anus,” the lawsuit says.
In response, McGarrigle claims, he yelled “No!” and tried to fight off Pierce, but felt “extremely weak”. During the alleged attack, the lawsuit states, Pierce told McGarrigle, “I know you want it, and you’re going to take it.”
After the encounter, the lawsuit states, McGarrigle was “afraid of losing his job” and “didn’t immediately report the assault to authorities or to Buckingham TV”, and he “tried to maintain a cordial relationship with Pierce”. McGarrigle subsequently resigned in the summer of 2021, the lawsuit said.
According to McGarrigle’s attorney, Daniel Gilleon, McGarrigle has been in contact with the Ruston Police Department in northern Louisiana since December about the alleged incident. No charges have been filed at this time.
Pierce characterized the allegations as “completely worthless,” saying in a statement that they “perpetuate harmful stereotypes that are harmful not only to me, but to my entire community.”
“This latest filing is nothing but an attempt to take down both me and a reputable television company,” Pierce said. “No one should be fooled: it has no factual or legal basis and it will not succeed.”
A representative for HBO’s “We’re Here” said the network and Buckingham Television received a complaint from McGarrigle in July 2021 regarding “an incident alleged to have occurred in early 2020.”
“Buckingham and HBO take the safety and well-being of staff at our shows very seriously and Buckingham immediately launched an investigation,” the representative said. “The investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support these allegations.”
After participating in seasons two and three of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and season three of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” Pierce, who has 1.6 million followers on Instagram, became one of the breakout stars of the franchise.
Aside from filming “We’re Here” – a reality show that also stars fellow “Drag Race” alumni Eureka O’Hara and Bob the Drag Queen – Pierce became the first drag queen to compete in the American version of the popular competition series “Dancing With the Stars” last year. In June, Pierce spoke at a Pride event hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris at the Vice President’s official residence.
