RuPaul's Drag Race star Shangela accused of multiple sexual assaults in bombshell investigation - after star denied rape allegation

RuPaul's Drag Race star Shangela has been accused of multiple sexual assaults in a bombshell new investigation - 10 months after the TV personality was accused of raping a former production assistant.

The drag star, real name Darius Jeremy Pierce, 42, has been hit by claims from four people who claim he sexually assaulted them or attempted to have sex with them when they were too intoxicated to consent - with a fifth person claiming Pierce attempted to penetrate him anally in a bathroom closet without his consent.

Pierce has denied all allegations through his lawyer Andrew Brettler who in a legal letter to Rolling Stone, called the claims 'false and unsupported by any evidence or reliable witness testimony' - adding: '[Pierce] adamantly denies ever engaging in nonconsensual sex.'

In May 2023 Pierce was accused of raping a former production assistant Daniel McGarrigle, 40, who worked on HBO show We're Here after a drunken crew party in 2020. Pierce denied all allegations and the civil suit was dismissed without prejudice in February after all parties reached a settlement.

One accuser named Helmer, 27, filed a police report against Pierce, claiming he was sexually assaulted aged 20 following a night out in 2017.

RuPaul's Drag Race star Shangela has been accused of multiple sexual assaults in a bombshell new investigation (pictured 2022)

The drag star, real name Darius Jeremy Pierce, 42, has been hit by claims from four people who claim he sexually assaulted them or attempted to have sex with them when they were too intoxicated to consent - with a fifth person claiming Pierce attempted to penetrate him anally in a bathroom closet without his consent (pictured 2023)

Helmer filed the complaint in Los Angeles on June 1, 2023, though due to a procedural error, the police department didn’t return his report until December 20 - the LAPD did not respond to a request for comment by the publication,

In Helmer's complaint, he told police he reported his allegations after he read Pierce had been accused of rape by McGarrigle.

Helmer told police he met Pierce in 2017 while working at a popular Los Angeles bar, claiming the pair exchanged numbers and social media accounts.

In Instagram messages seen by the publication, Pierce, then 36, writes: 'I’m thinking we should hang out. Let me take u to a late dinner.'

The pair went for drinks the next night - with Helmer's complaint alleging: 'Pierce bought a Mojito for [Helmer]. [He] stated he does not drink Mojito’s [sic] but continued to have it out of respect for Pierce.'

Helmer told police he 'does not have any recollection of the events that occurred after he drank the Mojito' - but recalled 'waking up completely naked on a bed and believed to be at Pierce’s residence.'

The complaint reads: '[Helmer] asked Pierce what happened last night and why he was naked. Pierce responded with, "We had sex, and there was another guy involved that you brought in." 

'[Helmer] asked who that other guy was, and Pierce stated he did not know, "but you were really into it.”'

Pierce has denied all allegations through his lawyer Andrew Brettler who in a legal letter to Rolling Stone , called the allegations 'false and unsupported by any evidence or reliable witness testimony' - adding: '[Pierce] adamantly denies ever engaging in nonconsensual sex' (pictured last week)

Helmer told police it 'took him a few days to realize that he was sexually assaulted' but by the time he realized, he 'believed' he did not have enough evidence to file a police report.

Instead he told his roommate Jay and current boyfriend Josh in 2017 - who corroborated to the publication they had heard details of the alleged assault.

Brettler denies Helmer's 'absurd' allegation and says Pierce and Helmer 'went back to Mr. Pierce’s house where they engaged in consensual sex with a third man who they met at the bar.

'Critically, [Helmer] continued to contact Mr. Pierce in the months following the encounter. [Helmer] never once mentioned that Mr. Pierce mistreated him, let alone sexually assaulted him.'

On May 4 2017, less than two months after the alleged assault, Helmer texted Pierce to ask for help finding accommodation - which Helmer says were sent 'in desperation' after breaking up with his ex.

Brettler adds: 'No one from law enforcement has ever contacted Mr. Pierce or his representatives about [Helmer’s] bogus claims.'

Edward Ramirez, 27, alleges Pierce assaulted him in a walk-in bathroom closet following a night out in Texas in 2018 when he was aged 21, and Pierce was 36.

They met at a bar on September 10 and discussed meeting the following evening per Instagram messages seen by the publication. 

Ramirez first claimed on blog ATRL a few hours after the alleged assault on September 11: '[Pierce] shoved me on the floor in a closet and tried to penetrate me.

Edward Ramirez, 27, alleges Pierce assaulted him in a walk-in bathroom closet following a night out in Texas in 2018 when he was aged 21, and Pierce was 36 which Pierce denies (Pierce pictured last month)

'Honestly, had he just asked, I probably would’ve had consensual sex with him. But getting shoved into a closet and thrown on the floor was just uncomfortable and seemed like an abuse of power.'

Ramirez told the publication he was 'very confident I was clear with my ‘nos.’ I was declining advances. He still kept trying anyway. When I shared the story initially, I was showing grace and mercy that I wouldn’t have shown had I taken more time to process what happened.'

Ramirez said he got his own drinks during the night and says he didn't go to the police as he distrusted authorities due to being a black, queer man. 

Ramirez texted Pierce after the alleged assault, writing on September 16: 'Are you still in Dallas?' with Ramirez claiming the message was sent to try and arrange a meeting between Pierce and a drag queen friend of Ramirez's/

Pierce wrote in a text sent on September 17 at 4am: 'So ur going to bed or r we hanging out.'

Ramirez said: 'Lol hanging out where!! It’s 4am haha' - with the accuser claiming he believed the messages were a 'polite rejection' of Pierce.

Pierce's first defense to BuzzFeed News - who were set to publish the allegations last year before the website shuttered - was a claim that accusers were motivated by McGarrigle.

However Ramirez made his allegations in 2018 four years before McGarrigle accused Pierce of rape.

Brettler denied Pierce and Ramirez were ever alone together that night - providing the testimony of three witnesses who said they had not observed any incidents that night.

A London-based musician, named as Checri, now 24, claims Pierce attempted  non-consensual anal penetration in November 2017 when he was 18.

Checri claims to have met Pierce, then 37, while partying at the 'Hype Hop' event at London's Cirque le Soir nightclub during the star's birthday week.

Checri claims Pierce was buying 'rounds of drinks' for people including himself, before the pair returned to Pierce's hotel room at the Clermont London Hotel with a group of people.

In May 2023 Pierce was accused of raping a former production assistant Daniel McGarrigle, 40, who worked on HBO show We're Here after a drunken crew party in 2020. Pierce denied all allegations and the civil suit was dismissed without prejudice in February after all parties reached a settlement 

The other guests left, leaving Checri and Pierce alone in the room, with Checri saying he was so drunk he vomited in Pierce's bed,

He alleges: 'I just remember very clearly a sequence of events, which was me being on the bed. Then being sick on the bed, everywhere. [I remember] feeling it, and seeing it, and smelling it. I very viscerally remember that. And then, whilst that was happening, like, an attempt at penetration.

'I was so ill that I was throwing up in the bed. It’s not like I was in control of anything that was going on. I felt so humiliated by the fact that I felt like an accessory that was available at a certain time.'

He says he told two friends about the alleged incident who corroborated the story to the publication. Checri claims he didn't alert police because of a 'lack of trust.' 

In a letter to RS, Brettler says Checri 'was the one who pursued a physical relationship with Mr. Pierce — not the other way around' and that no-one was 'impaired to the point that they could not make decisions for themselves.'

Pierce's version of events says the pair 'made out' before falling asleep fully clothed - before Pierce was awakened in the early morning hours by Checri vomiting in the bed.

'Mr. Pierce then encouraged Mr. Checri to go home. Embarrassed and apologetic, Mr. Checri gathered his belongings and left. Apart from cuddling in bed together before falling asleep, Messrs. Pierce and Checri were not intimate, and did not have sex.'

A witness provided by Brettler - who says he was with the pair before going to his room next door -  says Pierce 'called for help' as he kicked out Checri after he vomited.

Another accuser, Zachary, now 32, alleges Pierce and another man forcefully attempted to penetrate him anally when he passed out after drinking in 2015.

Zachary had a night out with Pierce during the six-day Southern Decadence LGBTQ-based event in New Orleans over Labor Day weekend. Zachary claims he met Pierce at a meet-and-greet following a performance.

Zachary alleges Pierce - who was 34 at the time - 'insisted' they drink after meeting and that he supplied Zachary with drinks until Zachary 'blacked out.'

Zachary claims he woke to Pierce and an unidentified man attempting to penetrate him, saying" 'I heard Shangela say, "Stick it in him," and I quickly said "No,” 

'I am pretty sure that [the unidentified man] didn’t do anything, but I passed out again, so I am not positive.'

Drag Race fan and draq queen Zachary says he was 'originally enamored with Shangela’s celebrity' - but after seeing McGarrigle's allegations he realized the same had allegedly happened to him.

Brettler says Pierce and Zachary 'engaged in consensual sexual acts before falling asleep' and says the pair continued to text 'through April 2016, exchanging pictures of Zachary in drag and talking about potential future hangouts.

 'At no time did Zachary ever accuse Mr. Pierce of wrongdoing or any inappropriate conduct.'

Zachary says he wanted advice from Pierce as a young drag queen - despite his friends attempting to convince him he had been allegedly assaulted. 

RoyLee Soliz, now 32, claims they met Pierce at a meet-and-greet after a performance at Texas A&M University at Kingsville in April 2012 when they were 20.

Soliz claims Pierce, then 31,  invited them to join him for a non-school-affiliated show at Vault club in Corpus Christi.

Soliz alleges Pierce bought them drinks all night with the pair going to Pierce’s  hotel room - where they accepted an invite to stay over due to their admiration for Shangela on Drag Race.

Soliz says the pair initially bonded over their desire to become a drag queen one day - with Pierce putting make-up and a wig on them.

Soliz claims after drinking together, they passed out in the hotel room - before Soliz woke up to an alleged assault.   

They said: 'I just remember trying to sleep and closing my mouth when she tried to put her penis in my mouth. I really didn’t have any strength to tell her to stop or that I didn’t want to have sex with her.… She had gotten me so drunk that I couldn’t say no, and I was in no way mentally OK enough to feel strong or demand her to stop what she was doing.

'I remember I woke up, felt so nasty, and just got in the shower and walked out of that hotel thinking it was my fault for being drunk and staying the night.'

Soliz says Pierce had left before they woke up but left a letter - seen by the publication which read: 'Good morning — didn’t want to wake you. Keep in touch!' and signed by 'DJ/Shangela.'

Brettler states Pierce has 'no recollection of meeting RoyLee Soliz, nor does he recognize that individual’s name' and while Pierce  does not necessarily dispute that he met with Mx. Soliz more than a decade ago, he adamantly denies ever engaging in nonconsensual sex of any kind with them, or anyone else.'

Joel, a man he says he began working as an an off-the-books assistant for Pierce in January 2018, claims he watched Pierce 'drink with numerous young, skinny men and would tell Joel how attractive the men were.'

Joel claims he witnessed men, mostly in their early 20s - go with Pierce to his hotel rooms, hot tubs and friends' apartments - adding 'DJ liked to drink. The name of the game was how many people could he get drunk. How many people could he get to come to the afterparty in his hotel room, and then they’d still be drinking there.'

Joel says he and Pierce had a sexual relationship before the pair stopped speaking in November 2022. 

In a letter to Rolling Stone, Brettler writes that Joel 'is not credible; he only wants attention.

'At no time after 2018 was [Joel] employed by Mr. Pierce, or any entity affiliated with hi.'

Brettler claims after Joel and Pierce split, Joel would send 'unsolicited selfies and videos of himself posing provocatively and/or engaging in various sex acts' to Pierce

'[Joel’s] after-the-fact attempt to paint Mr. Pierce as a predator is entirely inconsistent with his private communications with Mr. Pierce.'

McGarrigle's 2023 suit claimed Pierce raped him in a Louisiana hotel room following a 2020 crew party.

Shangela pictured on season one of 'Dance Moms', coaching children on the art of the death drop

The lawsuit claims an inebriated McGarrigle fell asleep fully clothed in Pierce's hotel room before he was allegedly attacked. 

Cast and crew gathered at El Toro, a restaurant and bar in Ruston, Louisiana, to celebrate the final day of production for the fifth episode of Season 1, the documents state.

McGarrigle claims in the suit that Pierce insisted on buying him drinks and shots for various sections of the crew - and says every drink he had that evening was purchased and handed to him by Pierce. 

The suit further alleges that after the party Pierce invited McGarrigle back to his hotel room to help him pack for an early morning flight.

The lawsuit says: 'Pierce rubbed his back as he [McGarrigle] vomited and brought him a cup of water.

It continues: 'After McGarrigle had finished throwing up, Pierce suggested he spend the night with him in his room.

'Sick and exhausted, McGarrigle agreed. He laid down in Pierce's bed fully clothed, shoes and socks still on.'

The suit stated that McGarrigle later woke up to a cold liquid being poured on his face, burning his eyes and nose. 

McGarrigle alleged that the liquid was a type of poppers, a chemical inhalant sometimes used during sex to relax muscles and create a euphoric head rush. 

The suit states that McGarrigle's  'pants were pulled down' and that Pierce initiated anal sex without using a condom. 

The accuser claims he screamed 'no' and tried to fight him off - but 'felt extremely weak'.

The lawsuit continues: 'Plaintiff was disoriented from the high he was experiencing from the poppers and the fear that overcame him during the sexual assault. Pierce overpowered McGarrigle and was able to hold him down.'

The suit claims McGarrigle felt weak, disoriented and overcome by fear and that Pierce was aggressive both physically and verbally.

McGarrigle claimed Pierce said: 'I know you want it, and you're going to take it.'

In a statement Pierce said: 'I can't begin to explain how hurt and disgusted I am by these totally untrue allegations'.

'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. 

'This 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.'

'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. 

'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.'

A statement issued on behalf of Buckingham Television and HBO by a representative of the series said: '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. 

'Buckingham and HBO take the safety and well-being of personnel on our shows very seriously, and Buckingham immediately launched an investigation. 

'The investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support these allegations.'

The suit also alleged that Pierce sexually harassed McGarrigle 'on a daily basis' until McGarrigle resigned in July 2021.

Pierce first joined the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race as Shangela in season two but was eliminated in the first episode.  

After auditioning again, she was invited back for season three where she made it to the top five. 

Since then Pierce has gone on to appear in several TV shows including Glee, and placed fourth on Dancing with the Stars as his alter ego. 

Since 2020, Shangela co-hosted 'We're Here' on HBO which involves herself and and two other drag queens travelling across the US to recruit small town residents to participate in a one night only drag show. 

The show has gone on to achieve critical acclaim and won two Primetime Emmy Awards for costume and makeup. Season four will see a new panel of queens with Bob the Drag Queen, Shangela, and Eureka O'Hara replaced by Jaida Essence Hall, Sasha Velour and Priyanka.