Tyra Sanchez

James William Ross IV, formerly known by his stage name Tyra Sanchez, is an American retired drag queen and reality television personality. A frequent drag impersonator of pop star Beyoncé, Ross is best known as the winner of the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race where he won $25,000.[1] As of March 2020, Ross has retired from drag, and will no longer be performing as his drag character Tyra Sanchez after making a public post on Instagram.[2]

James William Ross IV
Ross at RuPaul's DragCon NYC in 2017
Born
Gainesville, Florida, U.S.
Known forRuPaul's Drag Race (season 2) winner
PredecessorBeBe Zahara Benet
SuccessorRaja Gemini
Children1

Career

A native of Gainesville, Florida, Ross moved to Orlando, where he has resided for most of his life. His drag mother was Angelica Sanchez Jones, a popular performer in the Orlando area.[3] During his time on RuPaul's Drag Race, Ross spoke candidly about his periods of homelessness and personal challenges prior to auditioning for and being selected to appear on the show. Ross' old-school drag style and glamour made him a favorite of the judges. Currently residing in Orlando, Ross performed throughout the United States and Canada.

At the time he won the title, Ross was one of the youngest contestants to appear on RuPaul's Drag Race. Throughout his time on the show, he was referred to by RuPaul as "the other Tyra" in order to not cause confusion with America's Next Top Model host Tyra Banks. He was also the first ever winner in the show's history to never be in the bottom two, a feat that has been repeated by winners Bianca Del Rio, Violet Chachki, Sasha Velour, and Aquaria.

After winning Drag Race, Ross served as a drag professor and mentor of beauty- and fashion-challenged women on the second season of RuPaul's Drag U.[4] In April 2011, Sanchez released his first dance single, "Look at Me".[5] He released a second single, "Vogue" on October 13, 2016.[6] He then released a spoken word EP, Dear Drag Race Fans Book I, on July 11, 2017, following the controversy surrounding him and Morgan McMichaels.[7]

In March 2020, Ross publicly stated he was retiring from drag.[8]

Controversy

Social media backlash

On August 10, 2016, after a fan of the show called him annoying in a tweet followed by gun emojis, Ross replied with the message "Girl kill yourself". This was met with backlash and outrage across Twitter and Facebook. He later stated that he would not apologize for his opinion, and went on to call victims of suicide "selfish cowards."[9] A petition was made calling for RuPaul to revoke Ross' crown and title, or at least speak out against it.[10] RuPaul broke silence in his podcast,[11] defending Ross' attitude, and stated: "Twitter is not the place for that. People don't get nuance on Twitter, you can't do irony on Twitter, people won't get it." During the podcast she added: "On Twitter, you don't hear inflection, you don't hear snark, you don't hear sarcasm."[12]

Morgan McMichaels controversy

In 2017, Sanchez posted a mock obituary for Morgan McMichaels and used the post to direct people to Sanchez's personal SoundCloud page. McMichaels quickly denounced the post. McMichaels later said the post was meant as retribution for her blocking Sanchez's booking at Mickey's nightclub in West Hollywood. After Sanchez made comments about drag queen Raven, McMichaels said she wouldn't perform with Sanchez, and Sanchez lost the booking. Sanchez later apologized for the post about McMichaels.[13][14]

RuPaul’s DragCon L.A. 2018 controversy

Tyra was announced as being banned from attending the 2018 RuPaul's DragCon L.A. event after being accused of making terrorist threats.[15] His official website had a timer with the acronym "B.O.O.M." on it;[16] however, no act of violence was made when the timer ended.

Retirement from Drag

On October 8, 2019, after a period of inactivity, Ross released an apology statement on his social media accounts, taking responsibility for his past actions. “I humbly apologize for the online behavior I have displayed in recent years,” he stated. “Though it represents emotions I may have felt, it does not represent my true character. I have failed you and I know that I am much better than that…. it’s not who I am and it is not who I choose to be.” In explaining the reason behind his behavior, he said that “The judgement, criticism, and opinions I received daily really affected my vibes and it began to control my environment... I was on an extreme roller coaster of emotions. So many ups and too many downs. Exhausted, I was just ready to get off the ride.”[17][18]

Just over five months later, Ross publicly announced his decision to quit drag, stating on his official Instagram page, "For those asking, Tyra Sanchez has fulfilled her purpose in my life. I, James Ross, no longer want to be referred to as Tyra, Tyra Sanchez, her, she, girl, or queen."[19][20]

Personal life

Ross has a son, who was born in 2005.[21][22]

Discography

Studio albums
Title Details
Dear Drag Race Fans Book I

Singles
Title Year Album
"Vogue" 2017 Non-album single

Filmography

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2010 RuPaul's Drag Race Himself Contestant (Winner)
2010 RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked Himself
2011 RuPaul's Drag U Himself Drag Professor
2016 Skin Wars Himself Guest

Web series
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2015 Drag Queens React Himself Guest [23]

References
  1. "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 2". Logo. Archived from the original on 2011-03-23.
  2. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-czCo3JSuBIiyjYB-4QO4860tyZh9o3BUH23M0/?igshid=78c2mtkqcxe1. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "An Homage to Five Generations of Black Entertainers in Orlando - Watermark Online". Watermark Online. 2018-03-01. Archived from the original on 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
  4. Guest Judges Announced for RuPaul's Drag U from New York Press 9 March 2011
  5. Look At Me, 2011-04-21, archived from the original on 2018-05-25
  6. Vogue by Tyra Sanchez, 2016-10-13, archived from the original on 2018-05-25
  7. Dear Drag Race Fans Book I by Tyra Sanchez, 2017-07-11, archived from the original on 2018-05-25
  8. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-czCo3JSuBIiyjYB-4QO4860tyZh9o3BUH23M0/?igshid=78c2mtkqcxe1. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. '"Drag Race winner under fire for comments on suicide"' Archived 2015-08-21 at the Wayback Machine
  10. 'Activists create petition against Sanchez'
  11. "RuPaul breaks silence on Drag Race winner Tyra telling fan 'Go kill yourself' - Gay Star News". Gay Star News. Archived from the original on 2015-10-29.
  12. Nolfi, Joey (2019). "RuPaul's Drag Race champ Tyra Sanchez apologizes for 'offensive' behavior: 'I was angry, hurt and lost'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  13. "Memorial FB 2017: Sanchez Announces McMichaels Death". Instinct. 2018-05-26. Archived from the original on 2018-06-14. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  14. "'Drag Race' Winner Tyra Sanchez Falsely Announced Another Queen's Death". Hornet Stories. 2017-05-30. Archived from the original on 2018-07-10. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  15. "Terrified fans report Drag Race winner to the FBI over DragCon 'threats'". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
  16. "Tyra Sanchez continues with ambiguous threats against DragCon". San Diego Gay and Lesbian News. 2018-05-10. Archived from the original on 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
  17. https://ew.com/tv/2019/10/09/rupauls-drag-race-tyra-sanchez-apologizes/?amp=true. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. Cook, Michael (2020). "Call Him Mr. Ross; Tyra Sanchez Hangs Up Her Heels & Retires From Drag". Instinct Magazine. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  19. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-2cI8Cp1EO/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. Guzzo, Bianca (2020). "What Ever Happened To Tyra Sanchez?". IN Magazine. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  21. Nunn, Jerry (19 December 2012). "'Drag Race' winner Tyra Sanchez on being a father". Windy City Times. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  22. Nunn, Jerry (2019). "'Drag Race' winner Tyra Sanchez on being a father". Windy City Times. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  23. Part 3 | Drag Queens Reading Mean Comments w/ Jinkx, Bebe, Raja, Raven, Chad, Tyra, Sharon, Violet. YouTube. August 25, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
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