Even though RuPaul's Drag Race revved up their highest ratings in three years, the series didn't go without it's series of problems.
Since moving to MTV back in January, fans of the show as well as former (and current) Drag Race queens expressed their displeasure when the network opted to edit down the series from 90 minutes to an hour in order to push gay "reality series" Real Friends of WeHo.
Cast members such as Todrick Hall and Joey Zauzig hit back at fans, defending the series to anyone who would listen. That, of course didn't sit well with Drag Race fans who felt both personalities were coming across a bit 'tone deaf'
Keep in mind an average of 609,000 people tuned into each episode last season, and only 29% of the Drag Race audience stuck around to watch RFOW.
Zauzig, who was the shit stirrer of the show felt like Drag Race fans were throwing the show’s cast members under the bus for MTV's decision to cut 30 minutes off of their favorite show.
“We knew filming the show before we wrapped: we were gonna have some hate watches. Our community just does that for these sorts of shows. We knew there was going to be backlash,” he said. “But one thing we also knew was, the Drag Race community is diehard. You don’t want to f*ck with that. So when we found out we were after Drag Race, we didn’t know they never told us they were cutting 30 minutes. We were like, ‘Yes! We’re after Drag Race!'”
“Then we see all of these petitions and tweets. Who do you think people blamed? The cast.”
Once RFOW ended it's six episode run, and the remaining episodes of Drag Race went back to it's 90 minute runtime, all became right with the big gay universe until...
...A recent video began surfacing on TikTok where Joey Zauzig apeared on Dear Media’s Everything is the Best (When It’s Not the Worst) podcast opposite host Pia Baroncini.
In the clip, Zauzig continued to defend the series and let's just say gay Twitter wasn't having it.
“Gay guys, I feel like, have a hard time seeing themselves. Where Drag Race is a nice representation of the gay community, but they’re in makeup and drag – but when it comes to having a show about six gay guys who are working and doing their thing in LA, gay guys don’t wanna see that.”
Naturally, the queens of Drag Race didn't take too kindly to Joey's comments and let him have it on Twitter.
Season 15's top four queen Luxx Noir London launched the first grenade by tweeting, “All that migrated filler really just has such a negative effect on the brain, huh…”
Season 14 queen Deja Skye pulled a Kanye and hit back at Joey in all caps: A fake fragile and unrealistic group of friends is what we want to see? Be for f**king real the reason Drag Race is a hit is because people can see themselves in us and our struggles. Not your vapid conversations, girl bye.”
Fellow season 14 queen Jasmine Kennedie hit Joey with the uppercut, saying: “Stay pressed with your 20,000 viewer premiere, that show took away from actual artists and people in the community with stories that have actual meaning and impact. The LGBTQIA wants representation in the media that AUTHENTICALLY shows them, you sir are not that representation.”
Kornbread 'The Snack' Jete didn't hold back on her series of tweets, reading both Joey and the podcast host, who “had to look down a few times to remember the letters to LGBT” for filth.
Last but certainly not least, Miss Cucu herself Cynthia Lee Fontained weighed in as well:
Gay people do want to see themselves represented on TV. However, the issue with Real Friends of WeHo is that you all weren't real friends. People also had a problem with the show filming in West Hollywood, who's energy comes across as unatainable and elitist.
If they would have gone the Real Housewives route (since they attempted to rip the show off anyway) why not cast ordinary people with extrodinary personalities?
There are so many interesting queer people in the world with strong personalities that would have entertained the masses more than the vapid queens picked for RFOW.
At the end of the day, all we want is good storytelling with queer characters at it's center, whether it's scripted or non-scripted. Save the fake Instadrama for the internet.
The RuPaul's Drag Race spin-off All Stars season 8 premieres May 12th on Paramount+. Meanwhile the Real Friends of WeHo has yet to be renewed by MTV for a second season.
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