RuPaul’s Drag Race season nine and double All Stars legend Shea Couleé appears to have been ‘disowned’ by three of her drag daughters, after they all dropped the ‘Couleé’ surname.
Though Shea Couleé will always be here to slay, it seems like her three former drag daughters have declined the invitation.
Kenzie the Dragon, Bambi Banks and Khloe Park, who were previously known as Kenzie Couleé, Bambi Banks-Couleé and Khloe Couleé, all announced today (4 September) via lengthy statements that they have dropped the surname of their drag mother.
Kenzie wrote across two Instagram stories: “After 10 years of performing as firstborn Maison Couleé, I am changing my name to Kenzie the Dragon… but I will always be your favourite Couleé.”
“Aligning myself with peace, community and love… Associating me with myself… Cleansing my orbit of narcissists and energy leeches… Letting misery be it’s [sic] own company… To all my supporters and fans that know and love my art; this is simply part of the evolution.”
In the next story, Kenzie wrote as part of a longer message: “To all up and coming performers: be weary [sic] of grown adults trying to belittle you, who claim your successes as theirs when they were no where [sic] to be found for years, who align themselves with you because they see your light and want to leech from your energy.
“Be weary of these ‘drag family’ structures; don’t let anyone impose their narcissistic parental abuse onto you; you’re not a character in their show.”
The former Couleé appears to be talking about Shea, adding: “Let’s just say having 1mil+ followers will truly have a bitch in psychosis; have you surrounded by clout-chasing yes-men who agree with everything you say.”
Bambi Banks, formerly Banks-Couleé, added her own short but sweet statement in her Instagram story, but to those searching for more information. She wrote: “Also to the weirdos only here for tea. Unless we are friends you won’t be getting any from me so you can stop watching my story’s [sic] y’all have had muted for years…
“It’s only peace and love over here.”
And Khloe Park, formerly Khloe Couleé wrote her own thoughts in a lengthy Instagram post.
“As you can see some changes have been made,” Khloe wrote in the post’s caption, before telling fans that she would explain fully “when the time is right”.
After saying that her sisters (Bambi and Kenzie) are “still her sisters” and that she will now be going by her original last name, she added: “No I will not tell you what happened until I AM ready to tell it. This is not gossip for you to approach me with in hopes for some quick tea. Any questions about this without me bringing it up myself will result in a halted conversation.”
Khloe then appeared to address Shea, writing: “Unlike someone else in this situation I choose to be a little more classy about this matter and I will tell my story when I’m ready and it’s not just words on a screen…
“Don’t believe everything you see on tv. Remember I’ve been behind that curtain for years.”
And in an Instagram story added later, she claimed: “Let’s see.. You sat in my biological mother’s face and lied to her before she passed away making a promise you did not keep.
“You taught me 0 drag as a ‘parent’ & you constantly put others above us because they kissed your ass more/ fed your ego or had some kind of fame.”
It is not clear why these three drag daughters of Shea Couleé have dropped their surname. Shea has not publicly commented on the matter, but added several Instagram stories with quotes such as: “If you want to fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.”
Another reads: “May you be released from the grip of things you cannot control. And may your nervous system finally exhale.”
Shea first appeared on season nine of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2017, before returning to win All Stars 5 years later (and then on All Stars 7), and going on to appear in projects like Marvel’s Ironheart.
PinkNews has contacted representatives of Shea Couleé for comment.
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