Tyra Sanchez | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ross atRuPaul's DragCon NYC in 2015 | |
| Born | James William Ross IV (1988-04-21)April 21, 1988 (age 37) Gainesville, Florida, U.S. |
| Other names | King Tyra |
| Known for | RuPaul's Drag Raceseason 2 winner |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | kingtyra |
King Tyra, formerlyTyra Sanchez, is thestage name ofJames William Ross IV (born April 21, 1988),[1] an Americandrag queen andreality television personality. A frequent drag impersonator of pop starBeyoncé, Tyra is known as winner of thesecond season ofRuPaul's Drag Race, receiving $25,000.[2] After retiring from his drag character Tyra Sanchez in a publicInstagram post in March 2020, Ross announced his return to drag on September 14, 2022, under the name King Tyra via hisOnlyFans,[3] before moving all drag content back toInstagram in August 2023.[4]
A native of Gainesville, Florida, Ross moved toOrlando, where he has resided for most of his life. His drag mother was Angelica Sanchez Jone, a popular performer in the Orlando area.[5] During his time onRuPaul'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 inOrlando, Ross performed throughout the United States andCanada.
At the time he won the title, Ross was one of the youngest contestants to appear onRuPaul'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 withAmerica's Next Top Model hostTyra 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 winnersBianca Del Rio,Violet Chachki,Sasha Velour,Aquaria,Sasha Colby, andNymphia Wind.
After winningDrag Race, Ross served as drag professor and mentor of beauty-and-fashion-challenged women on the second season ofRuPaul's Drag U.[6] In April 2011, Ross released his first dance single, "Look Me".[7] He released a second single, "Vogue" on October 14, 2016.[8] He then released a spoken word EP,Dear Drag Race Fans Book I, on July 11, 2017, following the controversy surrounding him andMorgan McMichaels.[9]
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."[10][11]
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."[12]
On September 14, 2021, Ross announced a return to drag, now under the name "King Tyra", exclusively on hisOnlyFans.[3] On January 19, 2023, Tyra announced her comeback tour, Club Tyra, visiting nineteen cities across theUnited States.[13]
In a May 2023Exposed 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 namedMichelle Visage as antagonistic to him early on, publicly opposing hisDrag Race win. Ross stated he believesRuPaul supported his win at the time, despite producers and sponsorships opposing it. Ross claimed that he was banned fromDrag Con, asked to write an apology stating he does not condone violence. Allegedly, Ross did so butWorld of Wonder rejected the statement. He has not had contact with them since. When asked if he'd ever go onDrag Race again, Ross responded, “If you metTina Turner, would you ever ask her, ‘Will you please get back withIke?’ If you met a 15-year-old girl, would you ever ask her, ‘Would you please go withR. Kelly?’ Why do you guys keep asking me to go back to my abuse?”[14][15]
On August 11, 2016, after a fan of the show called him annoying in atweet followed by gun emojis, Ross replied with the message "Girl kill yourself". This was met with backlash and outrage acrossTwitter andFacebook. He later stated that he would not apologize for his opinion, and went on to call victim of suicide "selfish coward!."[16] A petition called for RuPaul to revoke Ross's crown and title, or at the very least speak out against it.[17] RuPaul broke silence in his podcast,[18] 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."[19]
In 2017, Ross posted a mock obituary forMorgan McMichaels and used the post to direct people to Ross's personalSoundCloud page. McMichaels quickly denounced the post. McMichaels later said the post was retribution for her blocking Ross' booking at Mickey's nightclub inWest Hollywood. After Ross made comments about the drag queenRaven, 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 thethird season ofRuPaul's Drag Race All Stars; as she made her entrance to the workroom, she joked "I look pretty good for a dead bitch".[20][21]
Ross was announced as being banned from attending the 2018RuPaul's DragCon LA event after being accused of making a terrorist threat against DragCon.[22] 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;[23] 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."[24]
In April 2023, Ross was arrested inStarke, Florida after allegedly threatening to shoot a police officer who had responded to a minor traffic accident Ross was involved in.[25] 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 adildo.[26]
"Yet it doesn’t compare to the fumes of the crematorium."
In January 2025, Tyra tweeted, following the death ofDrag Race UK Series 1 winnerThe 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 numerousDrag Race alumni, includingKandy Muse,Tatianna, andDenali.[27]
"Mwauh!… NO LEG."
In April 2025, Tyra posted a similar tweet following the death ofDrag Raceseason 4 alum andDrag Race Philippines judgeJiggly Caliente. Caliente's season 4 castmate and close friendJaremi Carey (Phi Phi O'Hara) posted a tribute to her, to which Tyra responding by making fun of Caliente's recent contraction ofsepsis and subsequent amputation of their leg.[28]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Dear Drag Race Fans Book I |
|
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Vogue" | 2017 | Non-album single |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Real Housewives of Atlanta | Itself | 1 episode |
| 2010 | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 2) | Itself | Contestant (Winner) |
| 2010 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked | Itself | |
| 2011 | RuPaul's Drag U | Itself | Drag Professor |
| 2012 | Kandi Koated Nights | Itself | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Skin Wars | Itself | Guest |
| 2016 | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 8) | Itself | 2 episodes |
| Year | Title | Artist | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Hey | Spiritualized | [29] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Drag Queens React | Himself | Guest | [30] |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Winner ofRuPaul's Drag Race US season 2 | Succeeded by |
