Since Arrietty's polarizing run on RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 ended and Irene The Alien began her journey on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10, the two queens from Seattle, Washington became embroiled in one of the messiest Drag Race feuds in recent herstory.
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Over the past week, Irene casually revealed that she used to be Arrietty's drag mother and teased that they were no longer related due to a situation that involved "money," "character," and/or a "man." Arrietty clapped back with X posts in which she accused Irene of "saying and doing racist shit" and alleged that Irene slept with "prepubescent children."
As of Thursday, May 22, Arrietty has shared a lengthy statement to apologize for the accusations she made against Irene, explain her instinct to defend herself, and commit to working more on herself to deal with these kinds of situations.
Arrietty's apology, shared via Instagram, reads:
"On Tuesday, despite my best efforts to remain composed and rise above the gossip, I allowed a moment of anger and weakness override my better judgment. In an instinctive attempt to protect myself, I reacted to speculation that stemmed from comments made by Irene. I deeply regret responding impulsively and acknowledge that what I said (particularly the insinuations I made) caused harm.
After a conversation with Irene herself, we decided a public statement was necessary. want to take full responsibility for the language I used, including the words 'prepubescent' and 'racist.' While they were intended as exaggerations, I now understand that they were not only inappropriate, but also deeply hurtful and unnecessary. I am truly sorry for any pain or discomfort my words may have caused.
I hope people can understand the very human instinct to defend oneself, and perhaps even relate to the experience of making mistakes in emotionally charged moments. Many of you may remember a similar misstep I made during the roast. I had hoped I'd grown from that experience, but clearly, I still have work to do. In this recent situation, 1 momentarily lost sight of that growth.
I recognize that I have a tendency to react emotionally, and I want to be transparent in sharing that I am actively seeking support through talk therapy and anger management. I am committed to learning better tools for handling difficult situations with grace and care.
To Irene the Alien, and to the wider LGBTQIA+ community, I offer my sincerest apologies. In a time when our community already faces immense external pressure and hostility, it's even more important that we show up for one another with respect and compassion. I take full accountability for my actions, and I am committed to doing better.
Thank you for reading, and for holding me accountable.
Sincerely and with humility, Arrietty."
If you aren't caught up on this feud between Irene The Alien and Arrietty (or need a refresher to remember what happened), keep scrolling for a timeline of events that led to this Drag Race drama.
In a video that quickly went viral in the Drag Race fandom, Mistress Isabelle Brooks — the agent of chaos herself — was seen asking fellow All Stars 10 costar Irene The Alien about her relationship with her drag daughter, Arrietty.
Irene quipped that Arrietty wasn't her drag daughter. "Not any longer," to be exact.
Mistress asked, "Do you think it can be saved?"
"No," Irene replied. "I will say this: I never forgive someone who fucks with my money, my character, or my man."
Mistress reacted, "Bitch, I can't even argue with that. Fuck that bitch. No shade."
Up until this point, it's worth noting that most Drag Race fans didn't even know that Arrietty was Irene's drag daughter — former, current, or otherwise.
Arrietty shares posts via X/Twitter.
X/Twitter (@Arrietty_TheElf)
On the one hand, it's fair to say that the interview between Mistress and Irene had the fans on high alert for any potential updates. On the other hand, this wasn't the first time that Mistress acted like an instigator and Irene threw a little shade — and things usually don't go much further than that.
But on Tuesday, May 20, Arrietty responded with a series of X posts that took this Drag Race drama to a very different level. The season 17 star wrote:
"So yes, the drama was about money. I produced and booked a show in Seattle. I invited Irene to come host. She got on the race and got a raise. Cool! I got on the race, all of a sudden money is tight? Okay, as a producer/booker, I tried to plan a way to divey up the earnings…
which is exactly what show producers do. It's not a crazy or wild concept. Every show producer deals with this. She didn't want to make any changes, and it looks like I was trying to "steal" / mess with her money. It was $50 y'all. $50 out of her $1k."
Arrietty shares posts via X/Twitter.
X/Twitter (@Arrietty_TheElf)
While those first two X posts came across as Arrietty just sharing her side of the story and clarifying a potential misunderstanding between them, the next two X posts — her closing remarks — included two rather serious allegations about Irene.
"And to be frank, her friends hated me already, so at this point, she already had made up her mind about me, she just needed a reason to call it quits. Period.
That's the story. So no, it wasn't character — u did that to urself when u said n did racist shit and everyone hated u a while back remember?
And no it DEFINITELY wasn't 'man' because imma be perfectly clear: I fuck MEN. I don't fuck prepubescent children. Let's just say that. I also have plenty of details about both topics if any outlet wants them. Y'all thinking I was aborted, naw, I was released from my shackles."
This story is still developing…
