Former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Sherry Pie was just announced as a guest on the Tamron Hall Show.
In the advertisement, Hall said Pie will “break his silence” and about the allegations which disqualified him.
The victims of Joey Gugliemelli and other Drag Race queens have spoken out against the Tamron Hall Show for giving Sherry Pie a platform.
Joey Gugliemelli, a.k.a. Sherry Pie, returns from months-long hiatus after allegations
This interview would be the first time Joey Gugliemelli has made a public appearance since he disappeared from social media after the premiere of RPDR season 12.
The Tamron Hall Show announces Gugliemelli’s guest spot
“For the first time, Sherry Pie comes clean. What really happened?” said Hall.
Sherry Pie posted an advertisement for the appearance on his Instagram. This is notable because Gugliemelli has not posted on the @sherrypienyc Instagram since March 2020.
The caption starts out, “It’s been a long year of learning to own my many unpardonable mistakes. I’ll be sharing my story, relfecting on my shameful actions, and working towards making amends…”
In Gugliemelli’s initial apology, he did not deny any of the allegations against him.
But now it seems he wants to “make amends.” The question is, Who does Sherry Pie want to make amends with? His victims? The drag community?
Ben Shimkus, victim of Gugliemelli, fought for show to not air episode
A victim of Gugliemelli’s catfishing, Ben Shimkus, revealed on Twitter that he had asked producers of the Tamron Hall Show to cut Sherry Pie’s interview.
According to Buzzfeed News, Gugliemelli was “alleged to have deceived his former classmates at SUNY Cortland in New York, as well as actors he worked with in a Nebraska theater company.”
He was able to do this by “posing as a casting director who led them to submit embarrassing audition tapes of themselves saying and doing degrading things.”
The Tamron Hall Show has not released a statement that says they have any plans to cut the segment.
RPDR fans push back
Almost immediately after the announcement went live, there was backlash from Drag Race contestants and fans across social media.
Fellow Season 12 contestant, Jackie Cox, wrote an open letter to the Tamron Hall Show.
Cox called out the show for giving Gugliemelli a platform while at the same time silencing his victims.
In response to Cox’s tweet, a fan responded saying that they noticed signs that Sherry Pie may be trying to make a “comeback.”
Sherry Pie’s website confirms what the fan said. The store page on the site says “Coming Soon,” suggesting there will be some sort of merchandise being sold.
So far, Pie has not made any public comments about trying to revive his career. Could this be what Joey Gugliemelli meant by “making amends?”
Sherry Pie on television again?
Pie’s presence on television has caused controversy in the past as well.
Sherry Pie still appeared throughout Season 12 because these allegations did not come out until after filming was already completed.
The producers of RuPaul’s Drag Race decided to not include Sherry Pie in the reunion or the finale episodes, which were filmed only weeks before they aired.
Tamron Hall Show is continuing as scheduled
If fans are willing to watch, they will have to wait until the Tamron Hall Show airs to see what Joey Gugliemelli is coming out of hiding to say. Until then, outrage in the RuPaul’s Drag Race fandom continues.
The Tamron Hall Show airs weekdays on OWN.