RuPaul ‘seriously considering’ quitting Drag Race UK after The Vivienne’s death-Robert Oliver-Entertainment – Metro

‘The Vivienne was one of RuPaul’s brightest stars’ (Picture: Dave Benett/Getty)

RuPaul Charles is said to be ‘seriously considering’ stepping down from Drag Race UK after the tragic death of its first winner, The Vivienne.

The Vivienne, whose off-stage name was James Lee Williams, died aged just 32 earlier this month – the official cause of death is not yet known.

In 2019, Williams won the inaugural series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and later became the first drag queen to compete on ITV’s Dancing On Ice.

After the news broke, RuPaul said: ‘With a broken heart, I join the entire Drag Race universe in mourning the loss of The Vivienne—an incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being.’

Now, sources have suggested that the legendary drag artist, 64, might be about to quit the series after the devastating ‘bolt from the blue’.

A source told the Mirror: ‘This has come like a bolt out of the blue for Ru. The Vivienne was one of his brightest stars and everyone knows what a soft spot he had for them.

James Lee Williams died earlier this month aged just 32 (Picture: Getty)

‘Ru has been left absolutely devastated by their passing and is now weighing up his own future. He’s now seriously considering standing down from hosting the UK franchise.’

The apparent reason, provided by the source, is that Williams was so heavily associated with the UK series that any future episodes would be severely affected by their passing.

RuPaul paid tribute to Williams at DragCon 2025, saying: ‘We want to focus on love. And we’re gonna remember our dear Vivienne with love and life and laughter. Because that’s what she was all about.’

Police confirmed that there were ‘no suspicious circumstances’ surrounding the incident, but full news on the circumstances has not been revealed.

The Vivienne was the first ever winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (Picture: Emma McIntyre/Getty)

The Vivienne’s ex-husband David shared an emotional statement (Picture: @d.ludford)

Williams’ death was announced by a spokesperson, who said: ‘It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved James Lee Williams – The Vivienne, has passed this weekend.

‘James was an incredibly loved, warm-hearted and amazing person. Their family are heartbroken at the loss of their son, brother and uncle. They are so proud of the wonderful things James achieved in their life and career.’

The statement continued: ‘No further information will be given at present. We will not be releasing any further details. We please ask that James’s family are given the time and privacy they now need to process and grieve.’

Williams’ ex-husband David Ludford said in a statement: ‘My heart is literally shattered, I feel so out of place I feel lost, I feel numb. Fly high angel, and keep shining.’

The Vivienne won RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019 (Picture: Getty/BBC/Aisling Legros)

‘The Vivienne—an incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being.’ (Picture: Getty)

‘Never in a million years did I think I’d ever be writing anything like this about James Lee Williams,’ he added, revealing that his heart sank upon hearing the news.

If RuPaul were to leave the UK series, he would be doing so after six successful seasons following its launch on the BBC in October 2019.

After The Vivienne was crowned as the first winner in 2019, Lawrence Chaney was declared the champion in 2020, and Krystal Versace won 2021’s third season.

In 2022, Danny Beard, also from The Vivienne’s home city of Liverpool, came out on top, before Ginger Johnson and Kryan Thrax won the competition in 2023 and 2024.

While there are several iterations of Drag Race worldwide, RuPaul doesn’t host them all – including Drag Race Down Under and Canada’s Drag Race.

Metro has contacted RuPaul Charles’ reps for comment.

Watch RuPaul’s Drag Race UK on BBC iPlayer.

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