Disgraced 'Drag Race' queen Sherry Pie posts statement addressing mental health & controversy

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

Now, things seem to have escalated recently with a new statement from Pie where she draws a direct line between their mental health diagnosis and the "mistakes" they've made in the past.

As previously reported by Out, other news outlets, and RuPaul's Drag Race fans on social media, these attempts have included rumored "secret" in-drag appearances, several Instagram posts and stories, various photo shoots, an active Cameo profile charging $40 for personalized videos, and even shady clap-backs toward the Drag Race series and its former contestants.

Sherry Pie's recent Instagram activity.

Recent activity from the disqualified Drag Race contestant include liking a comment claiming that the series has "turned into woke BS" and answering a follower via Instagram stories who asked (in Portuguese) if they'd ever return to the show. Sherry responded with a lip sync to a quote, "Get out of here. Can't you see I don't want you no more?"

That quote, however, didn't seem to be directed at the fan who asked the question. But rather, it came off 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 story about being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and what they've been doing to care for 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 but let's bring a focus on something that affects us all by talking about it on a personal level. My journey began about 5 years ago, when I received my diagnosis. I am a queer person with BPD (borderline personality disorder). My diagnosis changed my life and in many ways saved me. It provided some explanation for destructive behaviors that hurt others & myself. I was no stranger to self harm. My self worth was no where to be found. On the outside I did everything I could to keep myself appearing stable and put together."

The statement continued: "When all the pain I had caused came to light in the public eye, of course it was met with outrage and disgust. I understand the response and I won't ever be able to go back in time to fix and mend things BUT I can and have owned my mistakes while learning & growing at the same time. I'm lucky to have had an amazing therapist and psychiatrist. Through the use of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy) I have developed the tools I need to help manage my BPD in useful and constructive ways."

"BPD (like most mental illnesses) is often horribly stigmatized by media outlets 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 ostracized and then left to pick up the pieces alone. WE MUST DO BETTER! AND WE CAN DO BETTER! Sometimes life is messy and nasty but that's life… If we are truly going to make strides as a society with mental health then first we've got to understand how complex we ALL are and try as hard as we can to have empathy for other humans no matter what. Broken crayons still color!"

"Through therapy I have finally found my true self… of course I will have moments when my BPD will 'rear its head' BUT I now have some coping tools to deal with the situation and the ability to recognize when I am not ok," the Instagram statement concludes. "BPD is not WHO I am. I'm more than my mental illness, I am more than my mistakes, I am more than my trauma, I'm complex just like all other humans! Just like you!"

Instagram (@sherrypienyc)

In order to put this new statement into perspective, it is 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 former 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-drag Sherry Pie appeared on the Tamron Hall Show for an interview.

At that point in time, Sherry Pie expressed a lot of regrets and profusely apologized to the victims they've hurt. When asked by Hall if new people could potentially come forward with new accusations of misbehavior, Sherry Pie acknowledged that it was possible, but framed their answer as an apology to anyone they might've hurt at any point in time.

Sherry Pie also talked about being in therapy and revealed they had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). At the time, Sherry Pie acknowledged that their mental health diagnosis should not serve as an excuse for their behavior and past mistakes — which was a significantly different perspective in comparison to their most recent statement from May 2024.

Ben Shimkus' essay reacting to the Tamron Hall Show interview.

One of Sherry Pie's victims, Ben Shimkus, wrote a personal essay for Out in February 2021 to share his reaction to that interview on the Tamron Hall Show.

"If Sherry Pie's written apology a year ago wasn't enough, now we can watch the same apology play out 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 its new video form, which was simply a regurgitation of the first."

A few Drag Race queens stood in solidarity with Shimkus and the other victims, calling 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 an in-drag, clown-themed picture that accompanied the caption, "Coming back to socials has me gagging…"

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

Nicky Doll's Exposed 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 had kept up with Sherry Pie:

"For me, regardless of what is right, what is politically correct, (…) this was a human being that I shared a very special experience with. She has not done that to me. And the person, how I've been raised, is [that] if you need me, I will be here. Even if it's just an ear to hear you talk."

"I would never want to wake up one morning and see an article that said Sherry committed suicide," Nicky went on. "And realize that I was not here. [That] I just turned my back like everyone else. So we stayed in touch for a little bit and I've tried to give her advice. I know that she was very intense on going to therapy and really you know trying to heal."

Heidi N Closet's Exposed interview in July 2023.

In November 2023, Heidi N Closet — who also competed in season 12 — addressed the topic of Sherry Pie in an interview with Joseph Shepherd on Exposed:

"She's always been kind to me. So I was checking on her because I even though what she did was horrible, and I do stand with the victims, I don't want anyone to harm themselves. (…) The New York girls on our season, they were very much like, 'Throw her to the wolves. I don't want anything to do with her.' [And] I'm like, I get that that y'all don't want to be publicly with her, but y'all were up under her ass the whole time while we were filming. That was y'all's home girl, 'allegedly.' But now that she's done wrong, y'all just throw to the wolves. I get that y'all don't want to be with her, but as a person, as a human being, she is a human being."

Heidi added: "Going through this alone is dark. And she could end up harming herself. And I know I personally would have never forgave myself if she had committed suicide or something during that time. So I would stay in contact… not a lot, because it was still just like a hard situation to maneuver."

Jan's X posts in April 2024.

Another season 12 queen, Jan, shared a different point of view regarding Sherry Pie with two X posts shared in April 2024:

"I never need to see Sherry on my timeline ever 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 was not right.' Cut to seeing proof of the same behavior a week before we aired."

"I don't trust that she wouldn't do the same thing to people again," Jan continued. "I'm not saying she can't do drag and express herself… But a platform? Nah. I guarantee whatever you're looking for in a Cameo from her, you can absolutely find from another queen."

X (@janjanjan)

If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.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 (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.