Darius Jeremy “DJ” Pierce a.k.a Shangela.Photo:Phillip Faraone/Getty
Phillip Faraone/Getty
Darius Jeremy “DJ” Pierce, better known asRuPaul’s Drag RacestarShangela, has been accused of multiple sexual assaults between 2012 to 2018.
Darius Jeremy “DJ” Pierce a.k.a Shangela.Randy Shropshire/Getty Images
Helmer later reported the alleged sexual assault to his roommates — whomRolling Stonespoke with to confirm the account — as well as the Los Angeles Police Department. (PEOPLE reached out to the LAPD for comment but they were unable to confirm.)
In Brettler’s letter toRolling Stone, he claimed Pierce and Helmer engaged in consensual sex and that Helmer continued to contact the television personality in the months following. Brettler also refuted the incident was reported to police, saying, “No one from law enforcement has ever contacted Mr. Pierce or his representatives about [Helmer’s] bogus claims.”
Edward Ramirez, another alleged victim, reportedly toldRolling Stonethat Pierce had sexually assaulted him in a walk-in closet in the bathroom in 2018 after a night out in Texas, where they shared a few drinks.
At the time of the alleged assault, Ramirez, then 21, shared his allegations on an internet blog dedicated to celebrity pop culture named ATRL, where he claimed Pierce “shoved me on the floor in a closet and tried to penetrate me.” Ramirez noted that he “probably would’ve had consensual sex with him” had Pierce asked, but felt that getting “shoved” and “thrown on the floor” was “uncomfortable and seemed like an abuse of power.”
Ramirez, now 27, told the outlet that he was “very confident I was clear with my ‘no’s’“and declined the drag queen’s advances. He also said he did not report the incident to police because “he distrusted police authorities in Texas as a Black queer man,” according toRolling Stone.
In response to these claims, Brettler said Ramirez and Pierce were never alone together, providing three witness statements to dispute Ramirez’s claims.
Darius Jeremy “DJ” Pierce a.k.a Shangela on ‘Dancing with the Stars’.ABC/Eric McCandless
Checri, a third man who came forward, reportedly claimed that Pierce attempted anal penetration without his consent in November 2017. The 24-year-old alleged that Pierce bought rounds of drinks for the group of people they were with at a nightclub in London. They later returned to Pierce’s hotel room and Checri, then 18, alleged that he was so intoxicated that he threw up all over the bed. While he was sick, he says, Pierce attempted to penetrate him.
Checri also toldRolling Stonethat he didn’t report the alleged incident to authorities “because of a lack of trust in the police.”
In response to these allegations, Brettler asserted that Checri “pursued a physical relationship” with Pierce and “no one was visibly intoxicated, or impaired to the point that they could not make decisions for themselves.” Brettler said Checri and Pierce “made out” fully clothed before falling asleep but once Checri became ill, Pierce woke up and encouraged Checri to go home, to which he obliged.
“I am pretty sure that [the unidentified man] didn’t do anything, but I passed out again, so I am not positive,” Zachary, now 32, toldRolling Stone.
Brettler toldRolling Stonethat Pierce and Zachary “engaged in consensual sexual acts before falling asleep," and noted that the two continued texting each other through April 2016. “At no time did Zachary ever accuse Mr. Pierce of wrongdoing or any inappropriate conduct,” Brettler wrote.
Bob the Drag Queen (aka Christopher Caldwell), Shangela Laquifa Wadley (aka Darius Jeremy Pierce), Eureka O’Hara (aka David Huggard).Khun Minn Ohn / HBO / Everett
RoyLee Soliz, another alleged victim, claimed that he too met Pierce at a Texas meet-and-greet in April 2012 when he was 20 and accepted his offer to stay the night in his hotel room after drinking too much after a night out together. While trying to go to sleep, Soliz alleged Pierce attempted to put his penis in his mouth but didn’t have the “strength” to tell him to stop due to his inebriated state, according to the outlet’s report.
Brettler denied these accusations in the letter toRolling Stone, writing, “Mr. Pierce has no recollection of meeting RoyLee Soliz, nor does he recognize that individual’s name. While Mr. Pierce does not necessarily dispute that he met with Mx. Soliz more than a decade ago, he adamantly denies ever engaging in nonconsensual sex of any kind with them, or anyone else.”
“An external investigation into this embittered individual’s claims previously concluded that they were completely without merit,” he added. “This newest filing is nothing but an attempt to shake down both me and a well-regarded television company. No one should be fooled: it has no basis in fact or in law, and it will not succeed.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.A spokesperson for the series at the time confirmed to PEOPLE that a complaint was filed after filmingWe’re Here,but said an internal investigation found no proof of the alleged altercation. “Buckingham Television, the production company for ‘We’re Here,’ received a complaint late summer 2021 regarding an incident that was alleged to have occurred in early 2020,” the spokesperson said.
“Buckingham and HBO take the safety and well-being of personnel on our shows very seriously, and Buckingham immediately launched an investigation. The investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support these allegations.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
