Sasha Velour shares brutal Michelle Visage read that never aired
Sasha Velour has revealed the unaired read from Michelle Visage on season nine of Drag Race involving a Thanksgiving dinner (Getty)
RuPaul’s Drag Race champion Sasha Velour has revealed the brutal Michelle Visage read that never made it to air: and it’s hilarious.
The bald-headed queen won the ninth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race with a lip-sync that, to this day, is regarded as one of the top moments in the franchise’s history. During her run, Sasha snatched two challenge wins – both jointly with frontrunner Shea Coulée – before reaching the final. But, she has said, it wasn’t exactly an easy ride.
Speaking to HBO on the red carpet of the Scad TVfest, which took place in Atlanta, Georgia in February, Velour revealed that the best read ever given to her was by newly appointed Drag Race Down Under host, and RuPaul’s right-hand-woman, Visage.
“It was cut from Drag Race,” Sasha said, adding: “She said, as I walked down the runway, ‘That’s not a meaty tuck, that’s a Thanksgiving dinner’.
“Let’s just say I pull my pantyhose a lot tighter now, so that no one will ever say that again. But it was pretty clever.”
Although Velour didn’t confirm where it was cut from, one eagle-eyed fan in the comments has guessed that it was in the “naughty nighties” category in episode four.
Velour is set to join Canada’s Drag Race winner Priyanka, fellow flagship franchise winner Jaida Essence Hall and fan-favourite Latrice Royale as the new hosts of HBO’s reality series, We’re Here.
They replace Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara and Shangela, travelling to typically conservative US towns to spread the magic of drag.
In the first trailer, the group are seen facing the threat of arrest for performing in drag, as Tennessee and Oklahoma legislators tried to bring in bans last year.
Speaking to PinkNews, Priyanka recalled the “scary” moment.
“They screamed at first, then they [called out] ‘F****t’. Sasha and I… looked at each other and were like: ‘Did they just say f****t?’. I remember feeling: this is very scary,” she said.
“Typically, when we’re shooting the show, the cameras are around. The camera was there, the crew was there, and they were still [shouting] ‘F*****s’. It was and is scary,” she added, before pointing out that they weren’t even in drag at the time.
“It was scary, but if getting up in drag and parading around is gonna inspire somebody, it has to be worth it.”
We’re Here season four is due to start on HBO on 26 April in the US and stream on Sky Go in the UK.
