Drag Race star Shannel responds to woman's claim that she took $700 from purse during performance: 'I did not steal'
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RuPaul's Drag Race season 1 star Shannel has responded after a woman alleged that the performer stole an estimated $700 from her purse during a show in Las Vegas.
Shannel, whose real name is Bryan Watkins, posted an Instagram video Wednesday addressing the incident, which reportedly occurred Saturday during Voss Events' recurring Drag Brunch show at the Señor Frog's venue at the Treasure Island hotel. Megan Gerber — who posts on TikTok under the name Meggy Momma — shared a video from the performance, which seemingly depicts Shannel reaching into a purse during her set and removing an indeterminable amount of money from inside before placing the bag on a table and proceeding with her show.
Text added on top of the video reads: "Brian Welch STEALING a wad of cash from my purse. You can see I say 'I had $100's in there.'" In a subsequent comment, Gerber clarified it was "Brian Watkins."
Shannel said in an Instagram address that she did not attempt to steal the purse or its contents, but rather picked it up as part of "comedic bits" related to tipping that drag queens often do during performances. As a three-decade veteran of the industry, Shannel said she's seen gags like this "happen for years" on the circuit. However, she said she's "learned from this experience" and "moving forward, [she] will never touch a guest's personal belongings again."
"At the end of the day, I did not steal $700 out of this person's purse," Shannel said, stating that she took "a couple of dollars" from the bag and added them to a wad of bills she had collected from other tables earlier in the evening. "She was offered a personal apology from me, a full refund for her nine tickets — which was worth over $1,200 — and, out of good faith for how the situation was handled, an additional $700, which I would not and did not take from her."
Shannel said that Gerber did not accept the offer, and alleged that the woman's lawyer reached out to request over $6,000, including coverage for a cabana she reserved at the hotel. In another video shared after the event, Gerber said that she had $1,300 in her purse upon entering the venue, and around $350 inside when it was returned to her.
"I appreciate Voss offering us the $700; I still don't appreciate you claiming that I'm lying," Gerber said in a video response to Shannel's Instagram video. Gerber added that she "wasn't screaming for [Shannel] to come to me" and that she allowed the artist to take her purse because she "assumed it was a skit" for the show. "That wasn't funny. And then when you kept it, that wasn't funny," she finished. "I'm glad we've gotten to this point where you're recognizing that it's wrong to grab someone's purse…. I do believe that Voss does owe us for our cabana."
Gerber also said that she called the police to file a report. When contacted for comment, officer Misael Parra of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told EW that they were unable to identify victims or businesses involved in the ongoing investigation, but that an incident of theft was reported at an establishment in the 3300 block of S. Las Vegas Boulevard — the area where Señor Frog's is located. In an email from the LVMDP, a spokesperson indicated that the report "did not generate a call for service to the business for officers due to the fact the victim did a telephonic report."
EW was unable to reach Gerber for comment.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images Shannel from 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
A spokesperson for Voss Events told EW that security footage from Saturday shows that the bills pulled from the woman's purse were singles.
"The incident was a comedic bit that clearly did not land well with this particular guest," the spokesperson added in an email statement to EW. "Two dollars [were] removed from her purse in front of an audience of 300 people and added to a wad of cash already in Shannel's hand. It was later returned. This account has been [corroborated] by statements taken from nearby customers and our own security camera footage. Additionally, management counts all tips collected during the show which did not even total the $700 this person alleges was taken from her purse."
The statement continued: "Despite these facts, we agree the joke was inappropriate and Shannel had no right to touch anyone's personal belongings. We have taken appropriate action to ensure this never happens again at any of our events and feel terrible this guest had her experience ruined by this unfortunate incident.... We also politely pointed out that her continued social posts were inciting hate and threats directed at our talent and employees. We asked that if inciting such hate was not her intention, that the posts cease and/or be taken down while we resolved this in a professional manner. She declined, and in writing, insisted on $7,000 in compensation to remove the posts. We declined that offer and wished her all the best."
A representative forSeñor Frog's did not respond to EW's request for comment.
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