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Pearl Says RuPaul Broke Her Spirit and Is 'Hollywood, Rotted, Gross'
Apparently, there was more to that tense Season 7 moment...
RuPaul's Drag Race is full of reality TV drama and queen on queen catfights, but who can forget one of the most uncomfortable showdown's between Season 7's Pearl and RuPaul herself?
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When RuPaul tells Pearl that her personality is lacking and to wake up, Pearl claps back and the two end up in a dramatic stand off, ending in Pearl uttering the iconic line, "Is there something on my face?" When Ru storms way, Pearl has to take a few moments outside the workroom to decide if she wants to stay in the competition.
Well apparently, there's more to the story...
In a new interview with Johnny McGovern on the YouTube series Hey Qween, Pearl opened up about one of her first interactions with the supermodel of the world—and it wasn't exactly what she expected.
In a down moment before filming the show, Pearl leaned over to Ru and gushed over how much she looked up to her and how happy she was to be on the show. The Top 3 fan favorite queen was shocked when RuPaul replied, "Nothing you say matters unless that camera is rolling."
"That broke my spirit," Pearl told McGovern. "That is the reason why I had one foot in, one foot out the entire time I was on that show.
"Maybe that was me being petty. Maybe that's me thinking that it should've been something that I never should have expected it to be. But in that moment it was so heartbreaking because I idolized her, worshipped her. And it felt like it was just so disrespectful.
"I had never even been to LA before. It was so Hollywood, rotted, gross. How could you say that to somebody who is just obsessed with you? I couldn't imagine turning to somebody ever and saying something like that. It is what it is but that really explains a lot of my attitude on the show. And that's why I didn't give a shit when it came down to that moment."
Fans were shocked to learn of the moment, and even Season 4 alum Willam chimed in the express her disappointment on Twitter.
None— Holden Caulfield (@Holden Caulfield) 1534385423
\u201c@treviiee @cuntnoda When you start living your life like it's all an opportunity for monetization... it can be rough when people want to have a real moment and connect with you... It's television through and through. People start looking like dollar signs instead of, well, people....\u201d— Cordial (@Cordial) 1534382177
\u201c@cuntnoda And to compare, Tim Gunn has done 15+ seasons of Project Runway and every former contestant I\u2019ve ever met from multiple seasons has said how great he truly was. Even when cameras were off. He truly cares abou the artists. It doesn\u2019t have to be this way.\u201d— cracked egg. T girl. (@cracked egg. T girl.) 1534376385
RuPaul's apathetic and opportunistic treatment of the queens is well documented at this point, but it's still jarring to hear Ru's lack of the bare mimnimum amount of respect. Guess it's true what they say: never meet your heroes.
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
