RuPaul shared a vintage clip of her slapping Drag Race season 2 winner Tyra in response to her making a heartless joke targeting the recently deceased Drag Race UK season 1 winner, James Lee Williams–a.k.a. The Vivienne.
Tyra—a stage name of James William Ross IV—reshared The Vivienne's 2020 post on X (formerly Twitter), which read, "Bet Tyra was fuming when she realised Netflix spoiled the win too."
The Vivienne's post referred to the streaming platform's use of a photo of drag performer Shea Couleé wearing her crown after winning season 5 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
"Sorry gal," The Vivienne wrote, adding, "You tried though."
Following news of Vivienne's untimely death on Sunday, Tyra dug up the Drag Race UK winner's five-year-old tweet and captioned it:
“Yet it doesn’t compare to the fumes of the crematorium.”
Tyra's cruel mockery of Vivienne after her death enraged the drag community and former competitors like two-time Drag Race finalist Kandy Muse and season two competitor Tatianna.
On January 8, Mama Ru joined the disapproving chorus and indirectly reprimanded her fledgling, demonstrating that actions speak louder than words.
RuPaul took to Instagram and shared a 2010 clip from the season 2 finale of Drag Race depicting her dramatically slapping Tyra in an acting challenge.
X user @reading1776776 summed it up best.
"RuPaul really knows how to send a message, even when it’s through a skit. That slap? It’s not just for laughs it feels like a direct response to Tyra’s recent comments," they wrote, adding:
"Let’s be real, taking shots at someone who’s no longer here to defend themselves is crossing a line, and Ru’s way of addressing it is as sharp as ever."
"It’s like a reminder that, sure, you can throw shade, but there’s a difference between playful and outright disrespect. Sometimes actions really do speak louder than words, even if it’s just for the cameras."
Mother has spoken.
Fans were here for Mama Ru's scolding and wanted to make sure the message got across.
There were calls for the removal of Tyra's title as season 2 winner.
Tyra was further slammed for throwing shade at someone taken from us too soon.
Tyra later responded in an Instagram story expressing no regret for her cattiness at the expense of The Vivienne.
She addressed her drag superior with, "Right back at ya. Puppet," and went on to boast about the sudden spike in her popularity.
“I am immensely thankful to everyone visiting my page this week. Whether showing love or showing your a**, you increased my page’s reach TREMENDOUSLY. Welcome to all new followers!"
She added:
"Two fingers in the sky to those who have left us. Special shoutouts to the ones who truly hate me yet hang around watching my every move."
"With you hanging around here you’ve increased the reach by 95%. Silly rabbits. You work for me. It is because of you that my name LIVES on."
The Vivienne's sudden death was deemed "not suspicious" by UK investigators. She was 32.
Her family has chosen not to disclose any details surrounding her passing at this time.
When the tragic news shocked the community, RuPaul wrote on social media:
"With a broken heart, I join the entire Drag Race universe in mourning the loss of The Vivienne—an incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being."
You will be missed, The Vivienne.
@kileywrestling/Bluesky
