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Drag Race icons blast reality star Joey Zauzig for continuing to defend Real Friends of WeHo

Joey Zauzig has prompted backlash from Drag Race queens over defence of Real Friends of Weho (MTV/World of Wonder/Crave/PinkNews)

The queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race have come together to slam Real Friends of WeHo star Joey Zauzig after he continued to defend the show – which slashed Drag Race‘s run time during season 15.

Season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race was known for many things – some good, some weird and some bad. In the first category: Sasha Colby’s win, Anetra walking her f**king duck and the introduction to some shoe-ins for future instalments of All Stars. In the second, Loosey LaDuca’s obsession with counting her mini-challenge wins, Luxx Noir London’s definitely-not 40-inch wig and Sugar and Spice‘s Snatch Games.

When it comes to the bad, however, the problem did not lie with Drag Race, but with MTV’s sister show, The Real Friends of WeHo – the premiere of which coincided with Drag Race’s fourth episode. It has been reported that episodes of RuPaul’s Psychological Torture Race were cut down to 40 minutes rather than an hour, prompting backlash from fans and the show’s cast members – and backlash to that backlash from cast members of RFOW.

Now, Joey Zauzig – one of those cast members – has not so much kicked the hornet’s nest again, but stamped on it with a kitten heel.

Appearing on the Dear Media’s Everything is the Best (When It’s Not the Worst) podcast opposite host Pia Baroncini, social media influencer Zauzig continued to defend the show in a clip that has found itself on Twitter under the caption: “This video has just made me so mad.”

In the video, Baronici prompts: “The Drag Race people really came for you. And these are people from your own community.”

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Joey Zauzig replies: “Dude. There was a petition of 35,000 people saying: ‘We’re not gonna watch the show because we want our 30 minutes [extra] of RuPaul’s Drag Race.'”

In a rather feeble attempt at justifying Zauzig’s argument, Baronici then says: “Do these people understand that MTV having a show about only gay men in a very diverse group is nothing but fabulous for the LGBTQ+ community? RuPaul’s Drag Race is iconic, it’s a part of our culture, it should stay forever, but that’s one specific pot of what this community has to offer.”

And here’s the kicker – Zauzig (a very privileged, cis white gay man), followed up with: “Gay guys, I feel like, have a hard time seeing themselves. Where Drag Race is a nice representation of the gay community, but they’re in makeup and drag – but when it comes to having a show about six gay guys who are working and doing their thing in LA, gay guys don’t wanna see that.”

Let’s all just take a breather before we carry on.

Unsurprisingly, Zauzig’s comments have not gone over all that well with most of gay Twitter – which, unfortunately for him, is largely comprised of RuPaul’s Drag Race queens.

Season 15 finalist Luxx Noir London kicked off this particular reading challenge by writing: “All that migrated filler really just has such a negative effect on the brain, huh…”

Season 14 fan fave Deja Skye also joined the frey, writing in all caps: “A fake fragile and unrealistic group of friends is what we want to see? Be for f**king real the reason Drag Race is a hit is because people can see themselves in us and our struggles. Not your vapid conversations, girl bye.”

One of Skye’s Drag Race season 14 sisters and firebrand Jasmine Kennedie gave Joey Zauzig a particularly eloquent smackdown, writing:

“Stay pressed with your 20,000 viewer premiere , that show took away from actual artists and people in the community with stories that have actual meaning and impact. The LGBTQIA wants representation on the media that AUTHENTICALLY shows them, you sir are not that representation.”

Elsewhere on Twitter, Canada’s Drag Race icon and finalist Miss Fiercalicious gave a simple:

“Some people are so out of touch with reality….”

Season 14 queen Kornbread ‘The Snack’ Jeté, meanwhile, started an entirely new thread on the Joey Zauzig clip.

After inviting herself on the podcast to “talk SPECIFICALLY to [Baronici]” who “had to look down a few times to remember the letters to LGBT”, she went on the explain exactly what she felt was wrong with Zauzig’s words, hitting on the fact that Drag Race was cut from its original runtime and that the Real Friends of WeHo cast was far less diverse than Drag Race – and don’t live in WeHo.

Other queens to dish their thoughts include Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Cheryl Hole.

RuPaul’s Drag Race eighth spin-off of All Stars starts steaming 12 May. The Real of WeHo, starring Joey Zauzig, has not, as yet, been renewed for a second season.

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