Michelle Visage reveals why RuPaul made those comments to Pearl on Drag Race

25th November 2019

Michelle Visage has weighed in on the drama between RuPaul and Pearl.

As you all know, there’s a bit of HERstory between the two. They had an extremely awkward confrontation during season seven (“is there something on my face?”) and last year, Pearl recalled an off-camera moment with Ru that ‘broke her spirit’.

Speaking to Johnny McGovern on Hey Qween, Pearl revealed: “We were filming a segment, just chatting, bantering together whatever, and then the camera went down for a moment. I turned to RuPaul and said, ‘Oh my god, thank you so much.

“‘It’s such a honour to be here, such a pleasure to meet you, you have no idea.’ Just giving her everything I ever wanted to say to her. She turned to me and she said: ‘Nothing you say matters unless that camera is rolling.’

“That broke my spirit, and that is the reason why I had one foot in and foot out the entire time I was on that show. In that moment, it was so heartbreaking because I idolised her. I worshipped her. I felt like it was just so disrespectful.”

Michelle – who has remained silent on the matter – finally addressed Pearl’s comments last week during the Drag Race UK final.

After a member of the audience asked the queens what surprised them most about filming the show, Divina De Campo responded: “It’s the fact you’re not allowed to talk to each other. If the camera’s aren’t rolling, you don’t speak.

“You don’t speak in the van, you don’t speak in the workroom… you don’t speak anywhere.”

This prompted Michelle to say: “Which is where that quote from Pearl came from with Ru; that whole drama with Ru saying, ‘If the cameras aren’t rolling it doesn’t count.’ Because they want the magic.”

The Vivienne then chimed in: “Ru is there to do a job. We were there to do a job. The one thing I will say which was the biggest surprise is everything is done in one take. If you fuck up Snatch Game, there’s no, ‘Oh can I do that again?’

“It’s, ‘We’re rolling. If you fuck up, sorry. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

Last month, during an episode of Joseph Shepherd’s digital series Exposed, Katya was asked if her experience with Ru was similar. “Mine was worse, but I have enough couth to not bring Ru into it,” she explained.

“I was there that day and I remember it very vividly, the feeling of it. She and Max were over on the couch and I was at the workroom table, closest to them. I watched your interview with Pearl and she says it best: don’t meet your heroes.”