After backlash over Shangela’s inclusion, multiple drag queens drop out of Kennedy Davenport’s birthday

This story originally appeared on Them.

Several drag artists who were scheduled to appear at an event celebrating RuPaul’s Drag Race star Kennedy Davenport’s birthday, as well as her 30-year anniversary of doing drag, have dropped out of the performance following fan backlash due to the planned inclusion of Shangela, a fellow Drag Race queen who has faced numerous sexual assault allegations.

Bosco, who appeared on Drag Race’s 14th season and All Stars 10, released a statement on Instagram, saying simply, “I’ll no longer be appearing in Dallas in September,” referencing the event, which is currently scheduled to take place on Wednesday, September 9 at Station 4, a gay bar in Dallas, Texas.

Morgan McMichaels, who was also set to appear on the roster, indicated on Tuesday night that she would no longer be in attendance.

“I want to address my decision to step away from an upcoming event,” McMichaels wrote on X. “When I agreed to participate, I was not aware of casting of the event. Once I learned, the decision to step away was a natural and immediate one for me, as my participation no longer aligned with my values.”

She continued, “This decision is not rooted in hate or a desire to create negativity. It is simply important to me that the spaces and events I choose to be a part of reflect the values I stand for. Thank you for respecting my decision.”

By the time Tuesday night came to a close, at least one more queen publicly distanced herself from the show, as well.

“I removed myself from the show,” Mrs. Kasha Davis, who appeared with Kennedy Davenport on Drag Race’s seventh season, wrote on X. “I will not be appearing in Dallas.”

While Bosco and Kasha Davis did not cite a reason for pulling out, and Morgan McMichaels cited casting, no queen named a specific performer that caused them to drop out.

The event and cast were announced on Sunday, August 2, when Davenport first shared news of the event on social media.

“Hey yall my birthday is coming up and its huge,” Davenport wrote on X. “ I HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YALL. CHECK IT OUT AND GET YOUR TICKETS. Please Share. Dallas here we come.”

The poster for the event featured a veritable who’s who of Drag Race alum, including many from within Davenport’s own family, such as A’keria C. Davenport and Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige. Also set to appear, per the original poster, were Alexis Mateo, Dragula star Fantasia Royale Gaga, Jasmine Masters, All Stars 6 winner Kylie Sonique Love, Latrice Royale, Trinity K. Bonet, Canada vs. the World winner Ra’jah O’Hara, Morgan McMichaels and Roxxxy Andrews. Announced alongside the cast was season 2 and All Stars 3 queen Shangela.

Andrews posted on social media about not being able to attend, but claimed that she had never been scheduled for Davenport’s bash, as she had another commitment.

Backlash to the casting announcement of Shangela was swift, given that the star has faced multiple allegations of sexual assault, first from an assistant on the HBO show We’re Here and then later by five people who told Rolling Stone that the queen either assaulted them or attempted to intiate sex while they were inebriated. A seventh person came forward with allegations of assault in 2025. Following the original allegation in 2023, Shangela put out a statement calling the allegations “totally untrue,” and the accuser later dropped the lawsuit in 2024. Following the newest allegation in 2025, Shangela issued a statement saying she was being “falsely accused.”

Backlash to Davenport’s initial announcement was swift, with people questioning why she would add Shangela to the roster.

“girl... shangela?? this is why were fucked as a society,” one person wrote. “we keep enabling people who do terrible things, then we have to act like its fine and nothing is wrong. she is disgusting, and you are who you surround yourself with.”

In a tweet that has since been deleted, one social media user said that Davenport should replace “that queen” with Canada’s Drag Race star Jada Shada Hudson, to which Davenport replied, “I ain’t replacing a damn thing.”

Davenport also jumped into another thread to defend Shangela’s casting.

“There's many of us who choose to believe until proven guilty,” one person wrote on X in response to a tweet criticizing the All Stars 3 queen’s casting. “ALSO, Alot of the queens have toured repeatedly with Shangela and dont believe the accusers, based off their experiences and observations on the road with her.”

“Simple as that,” Davenport replied.

Early on Wednesday morning, All Stars 6 and All Stars 11 queen A’Keria C. Davenport, who is scheduled to appear, wrote on X that, despite her plea that she wasn’t “replacing a damn thing,” Davenport had agreed to swap out a controversial castmate, but declined to name Shangela in her post.

“When I was asked by my aunt to be apart of her bday celebration that’s all I knew,” Davenport wrote. “After further discussion she made the decision to remove the person from the line up.”

Davenport has not confirmed on social media whether or not she has removed Shangela from the roster. Her latest post, from Monday, about the show, included that she had added Drag Race season 18 queen Mia Starr. The poster adding Starr to the roster still included a picture of Shangela.

This is a developing story.

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