No, Meghan Trainor did not eat Shea Couleé's sandwich while on the set of RuPaul's Drag Race.
The hilariously random internet rumor, which had origins dating all the way back to 2017 during the pop star's appearance as a guest judge on season 9 of the beloved reality competition series, was finally debunked this past Sunday at the annual Streamy Awards, when Couleé (who was helping emcee the ceremony by interacting with audience members) admitted to Trainor, and the world, that she joking made that rumor up.
"I don’t know if you’ve encountered this rumor that when you were on Drag Race as a guest judge you ate a drag queen’s sandwich… I made that rumor up. And I’m so sorry!" Couleé confessed.
"It was you!?" Trainor asked, looking shook, laughing at the situation.
"It was me!" Couleé replied, the crowd laughing. "And I just feel so bad and I just want to let you know I said it as a joke once on the mic and I feel like now – I am very serious, they have no idea. I shouldn’t even be telling you this, but I am not only a gorgeous drag queen but I am also a compulsive liar and I’m so sorry. She didn’t eat my sandwich, ya’ll, she’s a great person, I love her."
Out got the chance to catch up with the Drag Race legend following the Streamys to talk about how "sandwichgate" all went down, being a part of this year's Streamys ceremony (which amassed 15 million views in its first 48 hours online, making it the most viewed ceremony in its history), who her fave meme queens are, and more!
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Out: So obviously I think the biggest story of the night was you and Ms. Trainor. The whole "sandwichgate" situation, as I'll call it. How does it feel to get all of that off your chest?
Shea Couleé: Honestly, because the real tea... what had happened was I was supposed to present another Streamy, but the winner wasn't there. And they said, "Hey, Meghan Trainor's actually over at this table, can you just go and talk to her?" When I made this silly joke at a show six years ago, I literally thought that everyone in the audience knew I was joking. And so then when I saw her on Patrick Starrr's channel, Patrick Starrr was like, "So I hear you like eating drag queen's sandwiches." And she was visibly annoyed. She's like, "I don't know where this rumor came from. I didn't eat a girl's sandwich from RuPaul's Drag Race. We don't even have the same catering. It's not in the same place." And this was probably maybe a year or so ago. That's when I was like, "Holy shit." I had no idea that this had even become a thing.
So when she was there, I was like, "I need to apologize to this woman because people are over here saying that she steals people's sandwiches." I literally thought that everyone knew it was a joke. But yeah, it was really good to hold myself accountable, apologize, take ownership over my actions, and let her know the source of where that rumor came from, that it was me."
There are a lot of worse things that you could have said besides eating someone's sandwiches.
It's just so random and stupid and ridiculous, I didn't think anybody would honestly believe me!
Would you say that's a good example of what internet meme culture has become, where you could make a joke and then all of a sudden it takes on a life of its own?
Absolutely. Because there have been times you wake up and you hear things about yourself that are completely false, and you're like, "Where did they even get that idea from?" So I know Meghan Trainor was asking herself, "Where did they even get this idea from for this dumb ass rumor?" So I had to let her know.
Did you get to catch up or connect afterward and just have a little kiki in response to all of this, after the fact?
Yeah, we had a brief moment while we were at a commercial break. I wasn't able to attend the after-party because I had to pack up and go back to my hotel so I could head to the airport. But we had a minute to sit there and catch up and I told her, I was like, "Girl, I will never ever lie on you ever again. I promise here on this day."
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So about the Streamys gig... a lot of these spaces can feel super straight, but I love seeing people like you and other LGBTQ+ talent queering up the place. So how cool is it to get to be a part of it all just be your biggest, queerest self in front of literally millions of people while streaming?
Honestly, it was really fun. Everybody in the audience was really cool. I feel like a lot of times, especially in pockets of culture that are mostly inhabited by cis-hetero people, they don't really get the opportunity or take it upon themselves to go out and experience drag in person. So I know for a lot of them, they're experiencing a drag queen do her thing in person for the first time, and they were all really, really cool. And even the straight guys were giving me my props and my flowers saying I was doing a good job maneuvering and working as the crowd surfer. So I'm just always excited when I can go into spaces where you don't normally see queer gender non-conforming drag artists like myself and be able to still have fun and make a positive impression on other people outside of my community.
Since we're talking about the Streamys, if you could start a joint YouTube channel with anyone, who would it be and why?
Oh my God. Ooh. Just one person?
Or as many people as you want! Go wild! It's up to you!
Okay, so I could do a YouTube podcast where you just shoot the shit. I feel like two people that I would really, really love to chat with constantly would be Jaida Essence Hall and Jan. I don't think a lot of people know how funny Jan is. I feel like she's a wild card, especially, because me, her, and Jaida have all hung out before. I feel like Jan's a good time gal and I feel like me, her, and Jaida would have a really fun time doing a podcast together.
Who do you think is the reigning meme queen of the internet? Who's someone whose memes will always get you to cackle?
Oh my gosh. Ooh. It's a tossup between... my two meme queens are NeNe Leakes, whose memes work for every circumstance, and SpongeBob SquarePants. Those are my two meme queens. You can use them for absolutely anything and it will be appropriate. And so many times when things happen culturally, I'm always waiting for either a NeNe Leakes meme or a SpongeBob meme, because they're always so applicable and I'm always impressed by the way that people apply them.
I'm glad you acknowledged SpongeBob's impact.
Yes, SpongeBob has a strong impact!
Obviously, you've been slaying the house down on Drag Race multiple times and then you still have your entire future and career ahead of you. So what's on the horizon for Ms. Shea Couleé? I feel like what there is to do, you've already done it. But where do you hope to go further, and what's on your plate?
I feel like right now, even though there is a strike happening, I'm really excited. Well, yeah, we've already announced it, but my participation in Marvel's Ironheart, I'm really excited for everyone to see that. I'm really looking forward to the strike being over and SAG and WGA being able to get the terms met that they really want because after having the opportunity to work on such a huge production and see the amount of work and dedication and passion and heart and love that all the creators put into it, I feel like it's really important that everyone gets paid a livable wage and can get health insurance.
All that to say, I'm really looking forward to the next chapter of acting, because I can't wait for people to see that side of me. So I'm really looking forward to that.
Actress Shea Couleé era.
Yes.
NOMINATED actress Shea Couleé era.
Hey, you know what, let's manifest that. I'm down for that!
