Calpernia Addams ‘blindsided’ as boyfriend’s brutal murder mentioned on Drag Race
Calpernia Addams (Image: Steven Simione/Getty Images)
Calpernia Addams has said she was “gobsmacked” and “blindsided” after RuPaul’s Drag Race referenced the 1999 murder of her former boyfriend Barry Winchell and showed photos of both of them without warning. Addams shared her reaction in a voice message played on Race Chaser, the Drag Race recap podcast hosted by Alaska Thunderf*** and Willam Belli.
The moment came during a recent Drag Race season 18 makeover challenge, where contestants put a willing guest into drag to create a family resemblance. This season, the makeover participants were described as “very male-presenting gay cowboys”.
In her message, Addams said: “I was kind of a gobsmacked this last Friday because one of the makeover subjects for the family resemblance challenge said that he was … an ex-military member who had served at Fort Campbell, KY, with Barry Winchell.”
Read More: RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Jane Don’t shares touching tribute as makeover co-star dies
Addams said it was “really a shock” to see the murder raised on the show, adding: “It was really a shock to see Barry’s murder brought up on the Drag Race episode, and see his picture come up and my picture come up.”
“It was very blindsiding”
Addams also said she still sees value in the story being discussed: “And I think there’s still value to be had in in letting everyone know that that kind of bigotry and hatred existed in the military.”
She described herself as “a veteran myself, a combat medic”, and said the reference landed while she was watching the episode with friends, making it “very blindsiding”. Addams explained Winchell was “brutally beaten to death on the 4th of July in 1999”, and that it has been “27 years almost”.
She went on: “It still breaks my heart because he was a sweet young man. And that night, Justin Fisher and Calvin Glover conspired to murder Barry because they had whipped up a frenzy against him because he was … ‘dating a transexual’. So that night they beat him to death.”
Both men were sent to prison, and have since been released.
Race Chaser hosts question lack of warning
Alaska responded by describing how jarring it can be for traumatic events to surface unexpectedly in entertainment, saying: “Because it is so terrifying, like [Calpurnia] said, to be like, ‘I’m hanging out with my friends, we’re kiki-ing and having a good time.’ And then, like, bam, on the screen, probably the worst thing that’s happened, you know, in your life pops up on the screen without warning,” as per The Advocate.
Willam also questioned World of Wonder’s decision to use Addams’ story and photo without “giving her a heads up”, saying: “They know full well about the trauma that she went through.”
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