The first-ever edition of RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars has been… well, CHAOTIC, let’s just say that!
The series, which started off with a “RuPaul’s Best Friends Race” energy, brought together 12 queens from different countries who had previously competed in international Drag Race seasons. Global All Stars also premiered right after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which meant that viewers quickly embraced the idea of queens coming together while (respectfully and fairly) competing against one another.
Sometimes, however, “what you wanna do isn’t necessarily what you’re gonna do,” in the words of Gia Gunn. As of episode 9, Global All Stars has a bona fide Drag Race feud involving Kween Kong (RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under season 2) and Kitty Scott-Claus (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season 3) against Nehellenia (Drag Race Italia season 2)… and the fandom is losing its collective mind!
What did Nehellenia say about Kween Kong during an Instagram live-stream?
Following episode 9, Nehellenia did a live-stream to share a few claims about what supposedly happened behind the scenes on Global All Stars — and a clip of that live-stream has been re-shared on the r/rupaulsdragrace subreddit.
In the video, Nehellenia is shown saying:
“During this attack (…), I don’t have [any] problem to say [it]: I [told] production, ‘For me, it’s too much. This is bullying. She needs to be disqualified for that.’ But they said it wasn’t bullying; she just exposed her opinion. But yeah, it was the only time that I used that word [bullying] during all the recording. Just in this episode, I use it.”
How did Kween Kong respond to Nehellenia’s allegations?
Kween Kong shared two Instagram stories responding to the overall reaction from the Drag Race fandom against her comments about Nehellenia, as well as the claims shared by the Drag Race Italia star about “bullying” and asking producers to disqualify Kween from Global All Stars.
Kween wrote:
“I had to pray on this the past few days because I don’t usually give in to things being said online, but there are a lot of accusations going around based on what Nehellenia is saying happened off-camera. This is now impacting my reputation and the way I support and provide for my family. Please stop with the exaggerated stories. A fight that almost got physical outside the studio that producers intervened in off-camera? This is ridiculous!”
“Alyssa [Edwards] is my sister, and like true queens, we have an understanding of each other based on where we come from and what we are about,” she continued. “We know how to address each other and deal with OUR business with love and respect which is why we have the relationship like we do to this day! Everything we discussed in our discussion together happened in the werk room while still on-camera and fully mic’d. If it is what you say, they have had no problems showing all the things said to make TV, and this would be no different. It’s unfair to implicate both of us over something you were not a part of.”
Kween added, “The irony here is — if we’re going to talk off-camera — you know exactly why I came for you so [harshly] in Untucked. When Athena [Likis] said that me and Soa [de Muse] have the best family resemblance, you know exactly what you said to Soa that upset her, and [was] the reason that I came for you. You said, ‘But Soa how do you feel that RuPaul only sees you as a superstar [because] you look like Kween Kong?’ That upset Soa to the point she didn’t say anything. This is why I came in so hot. My delivery might have been harsh, and what I said was mean, but l would never come at someone unwarranted. I’ve never been that girl!”
Kween wrote in a second (and final) statement posted on Instagram stories:
“You and I both know — after the situation, I apologized profusely for taking your shade, going below the belt, and tarnishing your moment. Throwing around the word bully, accusing me of these horrible th ings off camera, and admitting you said to production to remove me from the competition because of what you speculate happened is so malicious and underhanded.”
“To get on live and push rumors that are exaggerating facts, to make me sound like a monster is reckless and borderline — defamation!’ Kween remarked. “I worked hard, stood my ground in situations, spoke with my chest, and made TV representing the girls I represent. The ones you are trying to villainize, [who] have a reason to be tough.”
Kween elaborated, “That come from cultures and worlds that have had to learn how to fight because of where we come from, and what we have to deal with, within our own communities before even facing the cruelty of this Western world. I’m not ashamed of things that have happened to me in my past as [they have] made me the loving, thick-skinned, staunch, unapologetic pacific warrior queen that I am.”
“[A] majority of you have not experienced the things I have had to experience to exist in the same spaces as you,” Kween concluded, “and if my behavior was as you described, production WOULD have removed me. You can band together and talk all the mess you want, but stop with the exaggerated stories to push your narrative about me. It’s becoming so dangerous not only for me but now for the children I raise in my family that are now being threatened by your fans. I don’t deserve this over a TV show we made together a year ago! I’m done with this.”
If you haven’t been keeping up with this feud/drama between Kween, Kitty, and Nehellenia on RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars, keep scrolling to learn more.
Why are fans accusing Kween Kong and Kitty Scott-Claus of attacking Nehellenia on ‘Global All Stars’?
The first nine episodes of Global All Stars have prompted Drag Race fans to accuse the series of “favoring” queens considered “RuGirls” — a.k.a. queens who had previously competed in a season hosted and judged by RuPaul.
Besides this perceived favoritism for RuGirls, Drag Race fans on social media are also accusing Kween and Kitty of being overly critical and shady toward Nehellenia.
Various clips of Kween and Kitty saying “shady” things about Nehellenia have gone viral, but this discourse escalated even further in episode 9 — the “makeover challenge” — released on Friday, October 4.
What happened between Nehellenia and Kween Kong during ‘Global All Stars’ episode 9?
Episode 9 of Global All Stars brought the eliminated queens back for the makeover challenge. Kween was paired up with Soa de Muse (Drag Race France season 1), while Nehellenia was assigned Pythia (Canada’s Drag Race season 2) as her makeover partner.
In the Untucked-esque werk room segment of the episode, Nehellenia is seen defending her performance in the makeover challenge after hearing that a few other queens didn’t like what she presented. But Kween was still unimpressed, saying: “I mean, look at Pythia.”
The episode then cut to a confessional interview of Kween saying:
” All of these girls are sitting there being, ‘Lovely girl, this is so cute.’ You can feel how fake this sh*t is. I’m about to explode, because this is too much bullsh*t.”
We jump back to the werk room. “You could have blended the beard,” Kween told Nehellenia in reference to Pythia, who is a hairy person out of drag. “Maybe, like, just shaved the jawline a little bit.”
The next confessional scene came from Kitty, who seemingly agreed with Kween. “I feel like Kween is saying everything that we’re all thinking… like, she looks like a bloke,” Kitty said.
Vanity Vain (Drag Race Sverige season 1) jumped into the discussion. “This is stunning. You did such a good job,” Vanity told Nehellenia. “I think this is your week [to win the challenge] finally.”
But Kween felt differently. “I don’t see the family resemble, just being completely honest,” the Drag Race Down Under alum said. “I literally thought you guys were gonna be in the bottom. I was so gagged when they were like, ‘Oh, my god.’ They were just talking about the dresses the whole time. I don’t mean to be a b*tch, but I was just like, ‘Am I looking at the same thing?'”
Nehellenia and Kween went on to talk over each other for a bit, but the scene concluded with a final statement from Kween:
“Sorry, I’m just saying. Family resemblance… it could be a sister, it could be a brother. If you win, you deserve it.” This is my opinion.”