“Drag Race” star Kenya Pleaser's college campus show targeted by Rep. Nancy Mace and Libs of TikTok, university responds

Joey NolfiThu, April 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC

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'Drag Race' star Kenya Pleaser; Rep. Nancy MaceCredit: MTV; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty

RuPaul's Drag Race season 18 star Kenya Pleaser and the University of South Carolina have fired back after controversial politician Rep. Nancy Mace and the incendiary social media account Libs of TikTok both targeted the reality TV star's campus gig at the institution.

After Mace wrote online that "South Carolina tax dollars should not go to schools and universities promoting this kind of nonsense" in response to a Libs of TikTok post criticizing Kenya's upcoming April 14 performance at the university (which the institution promoted with an image of Emmy winner RuPaul), both the drag superstar and the university reacted with messages of their own.

"Thanks for the tag! This event isn't sponsored by tax dollars," the University of South Carolina's official X account replied under Libs of TikTok's original post. "Student orgs host hundreds of events on campus every year and they are free to choose the programming as long as it's protected by the First Amendment."

University of South CarolinaCredit: Bryan Pollard/Shutterstock

Kenya is set to appear in an April 14 production of the university's Birdcage show at the campus' Russell House Ballroom venue.On her own page, Kenya additionally criticized the pushback. "If y'all ever wanted to know how it feels to do drag in South Carolina… here ya go lmaooo," Kenya, who placed seventh on the current season of MTV's Drag Race competition series, wrote Thursday on X.

The South Carolina-based drag entertainer added, "I think ppl sometimes think spreading the message of representation is corny but bby in the Deep South we need as much as we can get. I’m a blk queer man from the south and we are here!"

Many of Kenya's Drag Race sisters came to her defense under the Libs of TikTok post that specifically used images of her from past performances.

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"Oh great! They’re in for a fantastic show then," wrote season 17 and All Stars 10 alum Lydia B. Kollins. Lydia's season 17 sisters Joella and Lana Ja'Rae also chimed in, writing, "She looks so fierce!" and "Y'all are so miserable," respectively.

When reached for comment, a University of South Carolina spokesperson tells Entertainment Weekly via email, "The only additional thing I would share is that the event is inspired by [the movie] The Birdcage and this is the 28th year it has taken place."

EW has reached out to representatives for Mace and to Kenya directly for comment.

'Entertainment Weekly' interviews 'Drag Race' season 18 queensCredit: Entertainment Weekly

Kenya opened up on season 18 about feeling ostracized as a queer person in the south, especially in religious communities. She and her season 18 sisters previously told EW in an exclusive group interview that they're thankful for the sisterhood they found together on set, with fellow contestant Vita VonTesse Starr saying, "One of the things Drag Race forced me to learn about myself or be aware about myself is my worth" — a sentiment that made Kenya cry in the moment.

The South Carolina drag queen first rose to national prominence on season 18, though she honed her skills on the southern drag circuit, and has positioned herself as a premier Lizzo impersonator in addition to performing in her own unique style of drag.

While she placed seventh on the current season of Drag Race, Kenya is set to return to the Main Stage for a lip-sync gauntlet against her fellow eliminated season 18 sisters, in a special episode Friday night that reunites all of the season's ousted queens ahead of the April 17 grand finale.

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

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