UPDATE: Shangela has twirled into the chat with a statement. (Stay tuned for the “Halleloo, not me!” press release.)
ORIGINAL STORY: Well, it’s another day, another headline that makes you do a double take while sipping your iced coffee. RuPaul’s Drag Race superstar Shangela—yes, the same queen who can death-drop with the best of them—is facing fresh sexual assault allegations. And no, these aren’t the kind of shocking plot twists we live for.
Court papers hit the New York legal runway on Monday (February 24), courtesy of adult film star Dakota Payne—legal name Eric Poff—who is not here for the drama unless it’s in a scripted scene. The suit names the 43-year-old drag icon along with an unnamed co-defendant in allegations of sexual assault from way back in 2017.
The lawsuit is asking for a jury trial and compensatory damages, because apparently, the justice system loves a legal battle with a side of pop culture chaos.
What in the Name of RuPaul’s Wigs Happened?
According to the docs, this all allegedly went down while Shangela was taking a break from filming Bianca Del Rio’s Hurricane Bianca movie in October 2017. (Which, side note, imagine taking a break from a drag comedy film and walking into this storyline.)
Dakota claims he was at a Manhattan bar, casually enjoying “one or two drinks” before things took a turn. He now suspects that his drink was, in reality, a sketchy cocktail with some unwanted additives. Next thing he knew, he woke up in a hotel room in a semi-conscious state.
And here’s where things go from bad to full-blown horror show: Dakota alleges that when he started to come to, he was already being assaulted by a man identified only as John Doe, with Shangela allegedly watching like some creepy background extra. Then, the lawsuit claims, Shangela joined in—without consent. And as a truly disturbing cherry on top, Dakota says he later received hush money via PayPal. (Ah yes, because if there’s one thing that screams “nothing shady happened,” it’s a random PayPal transfer.)
Legal Drama, Drag Style
The lawsuit argues that the alleged assault violated New York’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law—a mouthful of a statute that basically means, “If you do shady things, New York will come for you.” This law was amended in 2022 to extend the statute of limitations, meaning past cases like this one could still be brought to court.
Now, for those keeping track, this isn’t the first time Shangela’s name has appeared in troubling allegations. Last year, Rolling Stone dropped a spicy exposé where five different people came forward with claims that Shangela had either assaulted or attempted to assault them between 2012 and 2018. Shangela, naturally, responded with a firm “Not today, Satan!” and denied everything, calling the claims “false” and “unsupported by evidence.”
Then in 2023, another lawsuit popped up—this one from a production assistant on We’re Here named Daniel McGarrigle, who alleged sexual assault and gender violence. That case, however, wrapped up with a settlement in February 2024.
And the Tea Continues to Boil…
So here we are, in yet another messy chapter of Drag Race meets Law & Order: SVU. Shangela, who once lip-synced for her life, may now have to do it in court. And while we wait for more details to unfold, one thing’s for sure: this drama is a lot less charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent—and a lot more yikes, awkward, concerning, and legal fees.
We’ll keep you updated on this legal lip-sync battle as it plays out. Stay tuned—and maybe keep your PayPal notifications on.
