Shangela, star of We’re Here, is denying rape allegations after a former production assistant on the HBO series filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday.
The civil suit alleges that in February 2020, while the fifth episode of the series’ first season was being filmed, Darius Jeremy “DJ” Pierce — whose drag name is Shangela — drugged and raped then-production assistant Daniel McGarrigle after a wrap party. In a statement, Pierce denies the allegations, calling them “totally untrue.”
“They are personally offensive and perpetuate damaging stereotypes that are harmful not only to me but also to my entire community,” Pierce continues in the statement. “An external investigation into this embittered individual’s claims previously concluded that they were completely without merit. This newest filing is nothing but an attempt to shake down both me and a well-regarded television company. No one should be fooled: It has no basis in fact or in law, and it will not succeed.”
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In a separate statement, an HBO spokesperson confirms the show’s production company had received a complaint and that an internal investigation had been conducted and concluded. “Buckingham Television, the production company for We’re Here, received a complaint late summer 2021 regarding an incident that was alleged to have occurred in early 2020. Buckingham and HBO take the safety and well-being of personnel on our shows very seriously, and Buckingham immediately launched an investigation. The investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support these allegations.”
McGarrigle alleges that during the two-hour party at a Ruston, Lousiana, restaurant and bar, Pierce was “heavily flirtatious” and bought him multiple drinks before the former Drag Race contestant suggested McGarrigle go with him to his hotel to help prepare for an early flight. At that point, McGarrigle was so “inebriated,” according to the suit, when they both arrived at Pierce’s hotel room, McGarrigle vomited in the toilet. At that point, the former We’re Here production assistant alleges Pierce got him water and offered to let him lay down on the bed “until you feel better.”
The lawsuit states the former We’re Here production assistant then woke up during the evening to a cold liquid that “burned his eyes and nose” being poured on him. (It is described as “a type of poppers,” or amyl nitrite, that McGarrigle at one point ingested as it ran down his face.) That’s when McGarrigle alleges the We’re Here star pulled down his pants and “overpowered” the disoriented production assistant before sexually assaulting him.
The suit calls the alleged rape an act of gender violence and claims McGarrigle suffered damages, including “past and future medical expenses, past and future lost earnings and earning capacity, pain, suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish and embarrassment.” The former We’re Here production assistant is seeking unspecified damages from Pierce and Buckingham Television “in an amount appropriate to punish and make an example of Pierce.”
