The news comes after a long, contentious relationship between the artist and the show's fandom.
Mikelle StreetJames Ross, the performer once known as Tyra Sanchez on the most-watched drag pageant in the world, would like you to forget he was ever on RuPaul's Drag Race.
"I want absoutely nothing to do with your toxic community," Ross wrote on Twitter. "Stop tagging me in your posts, stop including me with your winners. Just forget me."
The tweet was one in a string of tweets wherein Ross also alleged hooking up with Sahara Davenport on the first night of filming. Davenport passed in 2012. Ross also went on to address the show.
"RuPaul, RuPaul's Drag Race and World of Wonder have been silent for years about Black lives mattering," he wrote, in reference to the respective social media accounts posting in support of the movement. Instead of live-tweeting the All Stars 5 premiere on Friday, the accounts posted tools for assisting in the fight. "Don't for a second think they care about you. It's simply the trendy thing for them to do at this time. They are racist themselves."
"You act as tho this comes from no where," Ross continued in a later tweet. "Every morning I wake to your racist hate and I say nothing. I block you and keep moving. Today I have time. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired of white people leaving comments on my page, inboxing me hate every single damn day."
Racism has been a longstanding issue within the Drag Race fandom. Many of the Black stars who have been on the show experiencing outright racism in the form of threats of lynching, or slurs, while almost all have experienced a more covert form wherein their work isn't as celebrated as those of their white sisters. Ross's relationship has been the most extreme version of those, with a contemptuous back and forth between the creative and the fandom since his season two win.
Ross has spoken out on the hate from show fans multiple times. It has also boiled over into massive incidents with Ross retaliating, telling fans to kill themselves, and threatening DragCon. These egregious threats came as a result of similarly egregious circumstances he was put under by thousands of fans.
In 2019 Ross apologized in a letter after taking a break from social media and seemed to be coming back to drag with a new outlook.
The judgement, criticism, and opinions I received daily really affected my vibes and it began to control my environment,” he wrote at the time. “I was on an extreme roller coaster of emotions. So many ups and too many downs. Exhausted, I was just ready to get off the ride.”
“I allowed the negativity to consume me. Boiling it inside and smiling through tears I became rebellious; thought it empowered me,” he continued. “Many times I expressed myself without thinking things through. I reacted out of fear and with anger. Neglecting the fact that I was wrong, I unleashed my anger upon anyone who crossed me. Making them pay for old and new because I thought it made me feel better…. I was angry, hurt and lost.”
He notably went on to perform at The Vixen's Black Girl Magic show among other gigs. Butl later, in March 2020 he completely retired his name, deactivated all Tyra Ross accounts, and stepped away from drag completely.
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