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Winning the crown is only half the battle. Join us as we look at victorious “RuPaul’s Drag Race” queens who stepped back from the spotlight after their big win, whether by choice, circumstance, or controversy. Our list includes Sharon Needles, Tyra Sanchez, Aquaria, Krystal Versace, Willow Pill, and more. Which champion do you miss most? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:00I just really want to thank my family and my friends, and most of all, I need to thank Cornbread's
00:06ankle.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at victorious contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race that stepped back from the
00:13spotlight after being crowned.
00:14Spoilers will be mentioned, so this is your official warning.
00:18I got racial slurs. I was called shark-teethed. I used to barbecue camp, so I still get teased about
00:25that to this day.
00:27Anya Nerve.
00:28Would you ever go down to a four-star hotel?
00:32Well, yes. Why not? Just one star, Lola.
00:39As one of the newest winners in the franchise, she hasn't had much time to fully utilize the platform that
00:44comes with her crown.
00:45Yet since season 17 has ended, Anya Nerve seems to have slipped into the background.
00:49She started out with ample opportunities, including an offer to portray Lola in the iconic musical Kinky Boots.
00:55If there's a road, I ease on down it. If there's a problem, I work my way around it.
01:03Just a few months later, however, it was revealed that she was no longer a part of the cast.
01:07With no explanation from her or the production, fans have been left hoping that she's doing all right,
01:12and that she gets another chance to shine soon.
01:14It's clear how much Anya Nerve adores drag, and we can only hope she returns to the spotlight as soon
01:20as possible.
01:20I like the smoke, that is what I said. If it ain't green, I'm not interested. Can I get an
01:28amen?
01:31Angeria Paris Van Michaels.
01:32Although the generous cash reward isn't the only reason a queen should want to compete,
01:37plenty have used that bonus as a way to build upon their brand or elevate their drag.
01:40It's Angie V on the track, and I gotta keep it real. Dragon's love, and it's something that we all
01:44need to feel.
01:45Listen, we ain't gotta hurt, baby. We just wanna heal and reinvent the wheel.
01:49While Angeria Paris Van Michaels was able to donate an incredible amount to the National Black Justice Coalition
01:54after winning the ninth season of All-Stars, she didn't have the same financial platform others did.
01:59Hey, Michelle.
02:01Hey, Angie.
02:01Yeah, Ru, I see you keep bringing your service animal right here.
02:06Don't you bite me, bitch.
02:07She's expressed a desire to continue acting following her victory, but so far, those opportunities have been slim.
02:14It doesn't help that she was overshadowed by the show's editing, which led to other queens being uplifted over her.
02:19Angeria, what's gotten into you?
02:21With this check, I can get away from you and these terrible queens and your cheap perfume.
02:27And I ain't lying.
02:28Blue Hydrangea.
02:30Angeria isn't the only one to have won the crown without the cash prize.
02:33Due to the BBC's regulations as a publicly funded channel, Blue Hydrangea couldn't be given financial compensation
02:39after winning the first season of UK vs. The World.
02:42The winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs. The World will receive a crown and scepter,
02:49plus cash prize of 50,000 pounds.
03:00Instead, she recorded a medley of RuPaul songs with the host herself, which unfortunately did not leave much of an
03:06impact.
03:06Oh, girl, I put the bass in my wall.
03:10Head to toe, let my whole body drop.
03:14Luckily, she's found a couple of non-Drag Race-related roles, including a temporary gig as the host of Stitch
03:19Please
03:20and a record-breaking run on the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars.
03:24Though she may not be in the mainstream the way other champions are,
03:27she has managed to carve out the perfect niche for herself at home.
03:30I'm pretty, I'm cute, this is my real hair.
03:33And if you don't believe me, then just ask my friend Claire.
03:37Bebe Zahara-Benet
03:38Bebe, this is your moment.
03:40I pass the reins on to you, my dear.
03:43It will be your job to spread the love, the message, the beauty of being the next drag superstar.
03:51When she won the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race back in 2009,
03:55the world was a different place.
03:57Most of Bebe Zahara-Benet's initial gigs post-winning had been set up by the show itself,
04:01including a campaign with LA iWorks and a cameo in a RuPaul music video.
04:12But there was a lack of mainstream opportunities, forcing her to carve out her own path.
04:17At first, her appearances were limited to comedic music and cameos in Drag Race spin-offs.
04:22It wasn't until Benet was reintroduced on the third season of All Stars that more doors opened for her.
04:27From producing a tour to appearing as the subject of a documentary,
04:30she has finally been able to reap the benefits of her triumph over a decade later.
04:35Listen, I am African and I have a sixth sense.
04:37And I can just tell that the first thing that is in their mind is,
04:41she has won already.
04:43She has already had the title.
04:46Kylie Sonique Love
04:47In 2021, she made Herstory as the first out trans woman to win an American season of the franchise.
04:53For your millions of fans around the world, you have anything you want to say.
04:59Live life in your truth, and love always wins.
05:03Since then, Kylie Sonique Love may not have made a huge splash within the mainstream,
05:08but she is still thriving just outside the spotlight.
05:10She's released a series of singles, and if her Instagram is anything to go by,
05:14she has remained booked and busy with drag gigs.
05:17Her first big break came with a role in the 2025 film Dope Queens.
05:21Calm down, baby girl, because as long as I'm still living,
05:25I will be supreme model of the world!
05:31Perhaps this could be the catalyst for her to break out of her bubble and into mainstream media,
05:35which could help inspire a generation of trans performers to follow their dreams as well.
05:39This is the first time in my life I had ever been celebrated for my femininity,
05:44and I loved it so much that I did that every weekend to this day.
05:51Willow Pill
05:51While some winners aren't offered stellar opportunities after appearing on the show,
05:56others have chosen to step back on their own accord.
05:58Our little sister, Ciara, is in love with Diesel O'Hara,
06:04and he's in love with her.
06:07Although Willow Pill slayed season 14,
06:09she's been perfectly fine fading into the background since then.
06:13After being crowned, she was open about wanting to step back from classic drag
06:16in order to hone the more absurd and whimsical side of her art.
06:19Who can save your love, girl?
06:31She's also expressed her desire to save as much of her cash prize and subsequent gig money as
06:36possible, with the goal of retiring in her mid-30s. While she still has love for the art form,
06:41she's admitted just how exhausted she's become, and we can't say we blame her.
06:45I mean, this is all fun to talk and joke about, but this is going to be work for
06:50generations to come so that the people coming don't have to feel a lot of this pain that we've
06:55talked about.
06:56Crystal Versace
06:57Oh my god, this has been the most amazing experience I could have ever wished for in
07:02my entire life, and I'm just ready to rule the f***ing world!
07:06After becoming the franchise's youngest champion in 2021, Crystal Versace hasn't done much to
07:12remain in the public eye. Besides appearing in her prize digital series Keeping Up with
07:16Crystal Versace, the Kent native has been perfectly content with a quiet life.
07:20I am the KB, Crystal Versace, the winner of season 3.
07:24And baby, I'm about to put on the biggest show of my life!
07:27Come on, Palladium!
07:28And I'm not doing it alone.
07:29She hasn't even released any singles, other than a feature she recorded with the first two
07:33winners of the spinoff. In October of 2024, she announced that she was taking an indefinite
07:38hiatus from drag, with the goal of working on herself and learning to love the art form
07:43again.
07:43Going down and getting these things done, and like staying motivated to do it.
07:47Yeah, I agree with that.
07:48Because it just depends on me.
07:48The motivation is hard.
07:50The motivation is hard, girl.
07:51And it's like so much pressure as well.
07:52Exactly.
07:54Aquaria
07:54I'm used to being a spectacle in the club scene in New York City, so I know how to make
07:59an
07:59impact with a look. I might be a b***h, but tonight I feel like that b***h.
08:03She is the perfect example of a queen who has been offered wonderful opportunities,
08:08yet still prioritizes her piece. After winning season 10, Aquaria made appearances for various
08:13fashion brands, had her own eyeshadow palette with NYX Cosmetics, and was even the entertainment
08:18editor for Dazed Magazine.
08:20This is already exciting enough, I think, but I'm very excited to eat some fabulous food,
08:24to see some fabulous shows, to meet some even more fabulous guests.
08:28As the years have gone by, however, she seemed content stepping back from high-profile gigs while
08:32focusing on her art. Whether it's perfecting her drag or her newfound DJ skills, it's clear she
08:38is fully devoted to her various crafts. She's expressed interest in returning for an all-winners
08:43season. And should she dominate the way she did her first time around, she may end up on top of
08:47the world all over again.
08:49Close?
08:51So close, but not a match, I'm afraid.
08:54Any hole is a goal.
08:55Tyra Sanchez
08:56He didn't just burn his bridge with the franchise, he ensured it could never be rebuilt.
09:01After Tyra Sanchez won the second season of the show, he was subjected to hate from fans.
09:06Tyra, do you think this really has to do with the music or something else?
09:09They're testing me.
09:10Mm-hmm.
09:11And it's like, kind of pissing me off.
09:13Over the last several years, he's taken his wrath out against viewers and fellow contestants
09:17alike. His insensitive comments about Jiggly Caliente and the Vivian after their deaths
09:22confirmed he would never be welcomed by the fanbase again.
09:25I was like, whatever, okay, so I just ruined my reputation again for no reason.
09:30Wow.
09:30I was like, okay.
09:31Another okay whatever moment for Tyra, just having to brush it off and keep it going.
09:36He retired and returned to drag multiple times, but any excitement fans would have for a potential
09:41comeback has been permanently dimmed. Although, given his comments about his desire to never
09:46return to Drag Race, it doesn't see me minds too much.
09:49Well, essentially, I'll always be Tyra Sanchez. I don't think I can ever get away from
09:53that. But when I came out of retirement, I just wanted it to be something new, something
09:58fresh.
10:00Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
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10:15Sharon Needles. She will never be accepted by the fanbase again. When Sharon Needles first
10:21won, she was heralded as one of the most groundbreaking queens of her time.
10:24I think some of the girls here, particularly the beauty queens, might be looking at me as
10:28just a freak. And I want to show them that I have everything that it takes to win this
10:33competition and more.
10:35As the years have gone by, her star naturally waned. However, it wasn't the reason she all
10:41but vanished from the public eye. She was involved in a series of racist incidents and
10:45accused of grooming a fan to the point of physical attacks and encouraging them to harm
10:49themselves.
10:49Okay, well, if you think that I won because of you, you are wrong.
10:54It's my talent that gets me to win.
10:56While Needles has denied the allegations, her fate was sealed. She was written off by viewers
11:01and a former producer confirmed she's been banned from the franchise.
11:05I don't think I've ever done any damage, you know, but you know, you are a public figure
11:10and so a lot of the words, certain issues have a charge.
11:14Which of these champions would you love to see return to the limelight? Let us know in
11:18the comments.
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