RuPaul’s Drag Race star Silky Nutmeg Ganache has called for show bosses to improve the show’s aftercare, asking: “Is it going to take a queen to kill herself?”
The drag artist has claimed contestants are “not offered a lot of support” from producers, as she told of the depression she fell into after receiving online abuse.
Silky, who appeared on the most recent series of the internationally popular US show, said in an interview with Gay Times: ”We’re not offered a lot of support when it comes to the show, the only support we have is to not read the comments.”
She told of how she’d received death threats and a barrage of negative comments after she won the mini and main challenge in the Snatch Game episode of season 11, which sparked struggles with her mental health.
“I got so much hate that I went into a depression,” she said. “I got so many death threats saying that I was robbing Nina of her glory. That is what I received, and I speak out on it, and then the response is like, ‘You knew what you signed up for’.
“No I did not, I did not sign up for someone to threaten my life, I didn’t sign up for any of that.”
Calling for a producer intervention, Silky continued: “I feel like until the producers put their foot down and offer more assistance that this going to continue to happen. Yes we are winning Emmys and we’re doing great things for the LGBTQ community, but at the same time they need to put out a statement saying, ‘This is not acceptable, and if you keep acting in this manner we’re going to cancel the show’, because people do not deserve to be treated this way.
“What is it going to take? Is it going to take a queen to kill herself?” she added.
American star Silky spoke amid months of headlines relating to reality TV aftercare in the UK, with a parliamentary enquiry into the matter on-going, following the suicide of a Jeremy Kyle Show participant earlier this year.
Love Island also introduced a raft of changes to their processes after the suicides of contestants Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis, including training on how to deal with online abuse.
Meanwhile, Drag Race is set to launch in the UK next month, throwing 10 British queens into the spotlight.
Useful websites and helplines:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.)
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0300 5000 927 (open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on www.rethink.org.