Drag Queen Shangela Sued For Raping Production Assistant
The Drag Race and Dancing With The Stars contestant is being sued by a production assistant who claims Shangela raped him in a Louisiana hotel room after a 2020 wrap party for the HBO reality show We’re Here, which Shangela has co-hosted for three seasons. Via Deadline:
In a detailed nine-page filing in Los Angeles Superior Court, Daniel McGarrigle alleges that the actor and drag performer (real name Darius Jeremy “DJ” Pierce) bought him multiple alcoholic drinks during the gathering before asking him to return to Pierce’s hotel to help him pack for a flight the next morning.
At some point, according to the civil suit, McGarrigle awoke and “felt Pierce on the lower half of his body,” committing or attempting to commit sex acts. The plaintiff alleges that he screamed “No!” but “felt extremely weak” and said “fear overcame him during the sexual assault,” which he said included penetration. According to the suit, “Pierce was aggressive physically and verbally, telling McGarrigle, ‘I know you want it, and you’re going to take it.’”
Buckingham Television, which produces HBO’s We’re Here, also is named as a defendant in the suit, which claims “failure to prevent sexual assault” along with allegations against Pierce of sexual assault, gender violence, false imprisonment and sexual harassment.
[Deadline]
McGarrigle is suing for unspecified punitive damages and attorney’s fees.
Shangela (DJ Pierce) issued a statement vehemently denying the allegations, writing, “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.”
The lawsuit claims that Shangela poured poppers onto McGarrigle’s face, which burned his eyes, before Shangela raped him, and it’s alleged that Shangela forced his penis into McGarrigle’s anus without a condom. Details and a description of the alleged rape can be seen in pages from the lawsuit below (the full lawsuit is here):
ADDED:
The L.A. Times reporter who published the first story on the lawsuit (it’s here, but it’s behind a paywall) tweeted earlier today about when McGarrigle first told We’re Here producers about the alleged rape, back in 2021:
