Disgraced ‘Drag Race’ queen Sherry Pie posts a statement about mental health and controversy

Disqualified RuPaul’s Drag Race season 12 contestant Sherry Pie has been trying to make a comeback for several years after a very public fall from grace after reports surfaced in 2020 that she had engaged in sexual misconduct, catfishing several up-and-coming actors and asking them for photos and videos, sometimes sexual in nature, for fake castings.

Now, things appear to have escalated recently with a new statement from Pie, drawing a direct line between their mental health diagnosis and the “mistakes” they’ve made in the past.

As previously reported by Outother news outlets, and RuPaul’s Drag Race fans on social media, these attempts include rumors of “secret” drag performances, several Instagram posts and stories, several photo shoots, an active Cameo profile that charges $40 for personalized videos, and even shady jabs at of the Drag race series and its former participants.

Sherry Pie’s recent Instagram activity.

Recent disqualified activity Drag race participant’s credits include liking a comment claiming the series has “turned into woke BS” and replying to a follower via Instagram stories who asked (in Portuguese) if they would ever return to the show. Sherry responded by lip-syncing to a quote: “Go away. Can’t you see that I don’t want you anymore?’

However, that quote did not appear to be addressed to the fan who asked the question. But rather it came across as an intense reaction to the idea of ​​returning to Drag race.

Instagram (@sherrypienyc)

Sherry Pie’s new statement from May 2024.

On Wednesday, May 1, Sherry Pie shared a lengthy statement via Instagram about being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and what they’ve done to take care of their mental health. The disgraced Drag race queen wrote:

“May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Hopefully we try to be aware of our mental health all year long, but let’s focus on something that affects us all by talking about it on a personal level. My journey started about 5 years ago when I was diagnosed. I am a queer person with borderline personality disorder. My diagnosis changed my life and in many ways saved me. My self-esteem was nowhere to be found to make myself appear steady and steady.”

The statement continued: “When all the pain I had caused came to light in the public eye, it was of course met with outrage and disgust. I understand the reaction and I will never be able to go back in time to solve the problem and fix things BUT I can and have faced my mistakes while learning and growing at the same time. I am fortunate to have had a wonderful therapist and psychiatrist. Through the use of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy). I have developed the tools I need to manage my BPD in a helpful and constructive way.”

“BPD (like most mental health conditions) is often terribly stigmatized by the media in our country, making our own responses to mental health emergencies somewhat less than supportive and understanding,” Sherry Pie added. “More often than not, people are left out and then left alone to pick up the pieces. WE MUST DO BETTER! AND WE CAN DO BETTER! Sometimes life is messy and nasty, but that’s life… If we really In order to make progress as a society with mental health we must first understand how complex we all are and try as hard as we can to have empathy for other people no matter what.

“Through therapy I have finally found my true self… of course there will be times when my BPD flares up, BUT I now have some coping tools to deal with the situation and the ability to recognize when I’m not doing well,” the Instagram statement concluded. “BPD is not WHO I am. I am more than my mental illness, I am more than my mistakes, I am more than my trauma, I am complex, just like all other people! Just like you!”

Instagram (@sherrypienyc)

To put this new statement into perspective, it’s helpful to go through a timeline of what Sherry Pie has said in the past, as well as what other Season 12 queens have said about their past Drag race costar over the years.

Sherry Pie’s ‘Tamron Hall Show’ interview in February 2021.

In February 2021 – one year after their official disqualification from Drag race – an out-of-control Sherry Pie appeared on the Tamron Hall show for an interview.

At that time, Sherry Pie expressed great remorse and apologized profusely to the victims they had hurt. When asked by Hall if new people could possibly make new accusations of misconduct, Sherry Pie acknowledged that this was possible, but took their answer as an apology to anyone they may have hurt at any time.

Sherry Pie also opened up about their therapy, revealing that they had been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). At the time, Sherry Pie acknowledged that their mental health diagnosis should not be used as an excuse for their past behavior and mistakes – which was a significantly different perspective compared to their most recent statement from May 2024.

Ben Shimkus’ essay in response to Tamron Hall’s interview.

One of Sherry Pie’s victims, Ben Shimkus, wrote a personal essay for it Out in February 2021 to share his response to that interview on the website Tamron Hall show.

“If Sherry Pie’s written apology a year ago wasn’t enough, we can now watch the same apology for 12 minutes on Tamron Hall’s YouTube channel,” Shimkus wrote. “None of the victims I have spoken to accept this apology, either in written form or in the new video form, which was simply a repeat of the first.”

A few Drag race queens stood in solidarity with Shimkus and the other victims and called out the Tamron Hall show for interviewing Sherry Pie. Among those then-tweets (now X-posts) were Jackie Cox and Detox.

Sherry Pie’s return to Instagram in April 2022.

Sherry Pie returned to Instagram in April 2022 with a clown-themed in-drag photo with the caption, “Coming back to social media makes me gag…”

The post contains several hashtags, including #NewBeginnings, #BPDawareness, #Rebirth and #Fresh.

Nicky Dolls Exposed job interview in July 2023.

In July 2023, fellow Season 12 queen Nicky Doll went on an interview with the Exposed show and discussed how she kept up with Sherry Pie:

“For me, regardless of what is right, what is politically correct, (…) this was a human being with whom I shared a very special experience. She did not do that to me. And the person, how I was raised, is (that) if you need me, i’ll be there, even if it’s just an ear to hear you talk.

“I would never want to wake up one morning and see an article saying that Sherry had committed suicide,” Nicky continued. “And realize that I wasn’t there. (That) I just turned my back, just like everyone else. So we stayed in touch for a while and I tried to give her advice. I know she was very intense looking at her Go to therapy and you really know you are trying to heal.”

Heidi N Closets Exposed job interview in July 2023.

In November 2023, Heidi N Closet also addressed Sherry Pie in an interview with Joseph Shepherd on Exposed:

“She’s always been nice to me. So I checked on her, because even though what she did was horrible, and I stand with the victims, I don’t want anyone to harm themselves. (…) The New York girls on In our season they were very much like, ‘Throw her to the wolves.’ (And) I’m like, I understand you guys don’t want to be public with her, but you guys were under her ass the whole time we were filming. That was your house girl, they say. But now that she’s done something wrong, you’re all throwing it to the wolves. I understand you don’t want to be with her, but as a person, as a human being, she’s human.”

Heidi added: “Going through this alone is dark. And she could harm herself. And I know that I personally would never have forgiven myself if she had committed suicide or something during that time. So I would keep in touch… not much, because it was still a difficult situation to maneuver.”

Jan’s X posts in April 2024.

In April 2024, Jan shared a different view on Sherry Pie with two posts shared via X:

“I don’t ever need to see Sherry on my timeline again. The tea? She lied to our cast when her actions came to light and told us she stopped her behavior after we filmed because she ‘realized it wasn’t right. ‘ We need to see evidence of the same behavior a week before we were deployed.”

“I don’t trust that she wouldn’t do the same thing to people again,” Jan continued. “I’m not saying she can’t drag and express herself… But a platform? No. I guarantee that whatever you’re looking for in a Cameo from her, you can absolutely find it in any other queen.”

X (@janjanjan)

If you or someone you know needs mental health help and support, please call, text or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The Lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (24 and under), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.