‘Dancing With the Stars’ Alum Shangela Accused of Multiple Sexual Assaults

RuPaul’s Drag Race staple Shangela is denying multiple sexual assault allegations, and it comes on the heels of a recent dismissal of a rape lawsuit filed against the drag star. Shangela, real name Darius Jeremy “DJ” Pierce, was accused last year of rape by Daniel McGarrigle, a former assistant on HBO’s Emmy-winning docuseries We’re Here. McGarrigle claimed Pierce was guilty of sexual assault, gender violence, false imprisonment, negligence, and sexual harassment, among other crimes, as reported by Yahoo News. Pierce denied the “totally untrue allegations” at the time, and a judge dismissed the lawsuit last week with prejudice. Shangela also had a stint on Dancing With the Stars.

In the recent slew of allegations, Shangela is accused of sexually assaulting, or attempting to, five people. These people allege they were too inebriated to provide consent. Rolling Stone was the first to report the allegations. Shangela says their innocent. 

The alleged incidents occurred in Louisiana, Texas, California, and the U.K. between 2012 and 2018, when the accusers were between the ages of 18 and 23. All five reportedly claimed that Shangela drank with them all night, with one claiming they were vomiting on a hotel bed before they were assaulted by Shangela.

Through his attorney Andrew Brettler, Shangela says the allegations are “false and unsupported by any evidence or reliable witness testimony” and adamantly denied engaging in nonconsensual sex. Shangela also claimed there were “significant problems” with the accusers’ accounts.