Tyra Sanchez

King Tyra, formerly Tyra Sanchez, is the stage name of James William Ross IV (born April 21, 1988), an American drag queen and reality television personality. A frequent drag impersonator of pop star Beyoncé, Tyra is known as winner of the second season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', receiving $25,000. After retiring from his drag character Tyra Sanchez through making a public post on Instagram in March 2020, Ross announced his return to drag, on September 14, 2022 under the name King Tyra
via his OnlyFans, before moving all drag content to Instagram in August 2023.

Career

A native of Gainesville, Florida, Ross moved to Orlando, 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, Ross performed throughout the United States and Canada.

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 host Tyra Banks. 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''. 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.

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. On January 19, 2023, Tyra announced her comeback tour, Club Tyra, visiting nineteen cities across the United States.

''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 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, 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 and Facebook. 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 and used the post to direct people to Ross's personal SoundCloud 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. After Ross made comments about the drag queen Raven, 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; 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 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 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.

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.

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 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