Beyoncé showed her love for Shangela at Thursday night’s GLAAD Awards, after the RuPaul’s Drag Race star performed a medley in her honour during the show.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z would receive GLAAD’s Vanguard Award during this year’s ceremony, in recognition of their work as allies to the LGBTQ+ community.
To mark the occasion, GLAAD recruited Drag Race alumna Shangela to give a performance in Beyoncé’s honour, whizzing through a medley of her hits and signature tunes.
It sounds as though the performance went down well with the Queen Bey herself, who revealed during her acceptance speech that she’d been so enthusiastic cheering along in the audience that she’d laddered her tights.
“We were not expecting those incredible presenters,” she told those in attendance. “[I’m] just super honoured and overwhelmed. And I’m very proud of the run in my stocking from [cheering for] Shangela.”
Beyoncé went on to say, reflecting on the couple’s On The Run II tour: “One of the most beautiful memories from our tour was looking out from the stage every night and seeing the hardest gangsters trappin’ out right next to the most fabulous queens, respecting and celebrating each other.
“And that’s the duty of my partnership, connecting people who at first glance seem worlds apart, and whether it’s friends or family, the LGBTQ community has always supported us and lifted us up.”
She added: “We’re here to promote love for every human being and change starts with supporting the people closest to you, so let’s tell them that they are loved, let’s remind them they are beautiful, let’s speak out and protect them, and parents, let’s love our kids in their truest form.
“I hope we continue to shift the stigmas in this community, especially the stigmas in black families.”
Since competing in RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 3 last year, Shangela has won herself a legion of new fans, even performing at the Spirit Awards on the night before the Oscars.
The following day, she made headlines with her appearance on the Academy Awards red carpet, having shared the screen with Lady Gaga in the Best Picture nominee A Star Is Born in 2018.
She said: “I think I might be one of the first – if not the first – drag queens, in drag, to ever walk down the red carpet at the Oscars.
“And I hope that means something to somebody out there, because it means something to me.”