King Tyra, formerly Tyra Sanchez, is the
stage name
A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
of James William Ross IV (born April 21, 1988), an American
drag queen
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...
and
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
personality. A frequent drag impersonator of pop star
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
, Tyra is known as winner of the
second season of ''
RuPaul's Drag Race
''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...
'', receiving $25,000.
After retiring from his drag character Tyra Sanchez through making a public post on
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
in March 2020, Ross announced his return to drag, on September 14, 2022 under the name King Tyra
via his
OnlyFans
OnlyFans is an Internet content subscription service based in London, England. The service is widely known for being popular with sex workers who produce pornography, and also hosts other content creators including athletes, musicians, and com ...
,
before moving all drag content to
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
in August 2023.
Career
A native of Gainesville, Florida, Ross moved to
Orlando
Orlando commonly refers to:
* Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States
Orlando may also refer to:
People
* Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name
* Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...
, where he has resided for most of his life. His drag mother was Angelica Sanchez Jone, a popular performer in the Orlando area. During his time on ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', Ross spoke candidly about his periods of homelessness and personal challenges prior to auditioning for and being selected to appear on the show. Ross' old-school drag style and glamour made him a favorite of the judge. Currently residing in
Orlando
Orlando commonly refers to:
* Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States
Orlando may also refer to:
People
* Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name
* Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...
, Ross performed throughout the United States and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
At the time he won the title, Ross was one of the youngest contestants to appear on ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Throughout his time on the show, he was referred to by RuPaul as "the other Tyra" purportedly in order to not cause confusion with
America's Next Top Model
''America's Next Top Model'' (abbreviated ''ANTM'' and ''Top Model'') is an American reality television series and interactive competition in which a number of aspiring models compete for the title of "America's Next Top Model" and a chance to b ...
host
Tyra Banks
Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973), also known as BanX, is an American model, television personality, producer, writer, and actress. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15 and was the first Black A ...
. He was also the first ever winner in the show's history to never be in the bottom two, a feat that has been repeated by winners
Bianca Del Rio,
Violet Chachki,
Sasha Velour,
Aquaria,
Sasha Colby, and
Nymphia Wind.
After winning ''Drag Race'', Ross served as drag professor and mentor of beauty-and-fashion-challenged women on the second season of ''
RuPaul's Drag U
''RuPaul's Drag U'' (as in "Drag University") is an American reality television series that debuted July 19, 2010, on Logo TV. Its final episode aired in August 2012. It was hosted by RuPaul and a team of drag queen "professors". ''Drag U'' was ...
''. In April 2011, Ross released his first dance single, "Look Me". He released a second single, "Vogue" on October 14, 2016. He then released a spoken word EP, ''Dear Drag Race Fans Book I,'' on July 11, 2017, following the controversy surrounding him and
Morgan McMichaels
Morgan McMichaels (born May 28, 1981) is the stage name of Scottish-American drag performer Thomas White, best known as a contestant on the second season of the reality television competition ''RuPaul's Drag Race,'' as well as the third seaso ...
.
Retirement and return
On October 3, 2019, after a period of inactivity, Ross released an apology statement on his social media accounts, taking responsibility for his past actions. "I humbly apologize for online behavior I displayed in recent year," he stated. "Though it represents emotions I may have felt, it does represent my true character. I failed you and I know I am not much better than that….. it's who I am and it is who I choose to be." In explaining the reason behind his behavior, he said that "The judgement, criticism, and opinion I received daily really affected my vibe and it started to control my environment... I was on an extreme roller coaster of emotions. So many up and too many down. Exhausted, I was ready to get off the ride."
Just over five month later, Ross publicly announced his decision to quit drag, stating on his official Instagram page, "For those who may be asking, Tyra Sanchez has fulfilled his purpose in my life. I, James Ross, no longer want to be referred to as Tyra, Tyra Sanchez, her, she, girl, or queen."
On September 14, 2021, Ross announced a return to drag, now under the name "King Tyra", exclusively on his
OnlyFans
OnlyFans is an Internet content subscription service based in London, England. The service is widely known for being popular with sex workers who produce pornography, and also hosts other content creators including athletes, musicians, and com ...
.
On January 19, 2023, Tyra announced her comeback tour, Club Tyra, visiting nineteen cities across the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
''Exposed'' interview
In a May 2023 ''Exposed'' interview with Joseph Shepherd, Ross shared he has accepted people calling him Tyra Sanchez, even with his new drag name being King Tyra. Ross expressed the wish that people not refer to him as “queen”, which is why he rebranded as King Tyra. In the interview, he named
Michelle Visage as antagonistic to him early on, publicly opposing his ''Drag Race'' win. Ross stated he believes
RuPaul
RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960) is an American drag queen, television host, singer, producer, writer, and actor. He produces, hosts, and judges the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and has received List of awards ...
supported his win at the time, despite producers and sponsorships opposing it. Ross claimed that he was banned from ''Drag Con'', asked to write an apology stating he does not condone violence. Allegedly, Ross did so but
''World of Wonder'' rejected the statement. He has not had contact with them since. When asked if he'd ever go on ''Drag Race'' again, Ross responded, “If you met
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...
, would you ever ask her, ‘Will you please get back with
Ike?’ If you met a 15-year-old girl, would you ever ask her, ‘Would you please go with
R. Kelly?’ Why do you guys keep asking me to go back to my abuse?”
Personal life
Ross is a devout
follower of Christian faith and has estranged children.
Controversies
On August 11, 2016, after a fan of the show called him annoying in a
tweet followed by gun emojis, Ross replied with the message "Girl kill yourself". This was met with backlash and outrage across
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
and
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
. He later stated that he would not apologize for his opinion, and went on to call victim of suicide "selfish coward!." A petition called for RuPaul to revoke Ross's crown and title, or at the very least speak out against it. RuPaul broke silence in his podcast, defending Ross and stated: "Twitter is not the place for that. People don't get nuance on Twitter, you can't do irony on Twitter, people won't get it." During the podcast, she added: "On Twitter, you don't hear inflection. You don't hear snark. You don't hear sarcasm."
In 2017, Ross posted a mock obituary for
Morgan McMichaels
Morgan McMichaels (born May 28, 1981) is the stage name of Scottish-American drag performer Thomas White, best known as a contestant on the second season of the reality television competition ''RuPaul's Drag Race,'' as well as the third seaso ...
and used the post to direct people to Ross's personal
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
page. McMichaels quickly denounced the post. McMichaels later said the post was retribution for her blocking Ross' booking at Mickey's nightclub in
West Hollywood
West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757.
History
Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...
. After Ross made comments about the drag queen
Raven
A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...
, McMichaels said she would not perform with Ross, and Ross lost the booking. Ross apologized for posting about McMichaels. McMichaels later lampooned the scenario upon her re-appearance on the
third season of
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'' is an American reality competition spin off edition of the original ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which is produced by World of Wonder, for Logo TV and later VH1. The show premiered on October 22, 2012, on Logo TV, ...
; as she made her entrance to the workroom, she joked "I look pretty good for a dead bitch".
Ross was announced as being banned from attending the 2018
RuPaul's DragCon LA
RuPaul's DragCon LA is an annual Trade fair, expo of Drag (clothing), drag culture held in Los Angeles billed as a "convention that celebrates 'the art of drag, queer culture and self-expression for all'", which debuted in 2015. Its sister even ...
event after being accused of making a terrorist threat against DragCon. His official website had a timer set for the date and time of DragCon 2018 with the acronym "B.O.O.M." at the top of the page; however, no act of violence was made when the timer ended.
In August 2020, Ross was arrested and charged with criminal damage after allegedly spray painting the side of an apartment building with the words "don't move here ever."
In April 2023, Ross was arrested in
Starke, Florida
Starke is a city in and the county seat of Bradford County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,796 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The origin of the city's name is disputed. Starke may have been named in honor of local la ...
after allegedly threatening to shoot a police officer who had responded to a minor traffic accident Ross was involved in. Two months later, in July, he was arrested again for causing a traffic jam as a result of his protest against the circumstances of his May arrest, which he underwent while wearing a
dildo
A dildo is a sex toy, often explicitly phallic in appearance, intended for sexual penetration or other sexual activity during masturbation or with sex partners. Dildos are made from a number of materials. The shape and size are typically t ...
.
Insensitive comments about deceased drag queens
In January 2025, Tyra posted on X, following the death of ''
Drag Race UK Series 1'' winner
The Vivienne, a comment in response to a 2020 tweet referencing “Tyra fuming.” The tweet and subsequent tweets about The Vivienne’s death were viewed as inhumane and received critical comments from numerous ''Drag Race'' alumni, including
Kandy Muse,
Tatianna, and
Denali
Denali (), federally designated as Mount McKinley, is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the tallest mountain in the world from base to peak on land, measuring . On p. 20 of Helm ...
.
In April 2025, Tyra posted a similar comment on X following the death of ''Drag Race''
season 4 alum and
''Drag Race Philippines'' judge
Jiggly Caliente. Caliente's season 4 castmate and close friend
Jaremi Carey (Phi Phi O'Hara) posted a tribute to her, to which Tyra responding by making fun of Caliente's recent contraction of
sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs.
This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...
and subsequent amputation of their leg.
[ ]
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
Filmography
Television
Music videos
Web series
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Tyra
1988 births
Living people
African-American drag queens
American drag queens
African-American LGBTQ people
LGBTQ people from Florida
People from Gainesville, Florida
Tyra Sanchez
Drag performers from Orlando, Florida
20th-century American LGBTQ people
21st-century American LGBTQ people
RuPaul's Drag Race contestants