“This is my only option”: Drag Race star Stacy Layne Matthews quits drag and issues apology

Drag Race alumni Stacy Layne Matthews has announced that “her last show was [her] last” and that she is stepping away from drag, after she let her “mind and body get the best” of her.

In a full statement Matthews posted to Instagram: “I’ve disappointed too many people. I let my mind and body get the best of me. I let fear and anxiety take over my life.

“I have given myself a reputation that I never had planned. I thought I was stronger than I am. I put on a smile for a long time. I took care of everyone else over the years and lost myself in the process. And in the end I felt the bitter side of generosity.

“I let my health both physical and mental, get out of hand. Now I’m seen as this person who takes and doesn’t give. So I take full responsibility … But just know I’ve done what I could but went the wrong way in doing so. I’m sorry if I disappointed you in any way.

“I’m a good person who has been broke. I let negativity destroy what little joy I had left. I’ve never felt so alone in my life. I’m not sure there is any coming back from this. I don’t know how to change people’s minds about what they think of me. I’m tired.

Matthews continued: “That being said. I’ll be stepping away from social media. Focusing on my mental health, my physical health and my wellbeing. I’m not here to try to convince anyone of anything. Just know this is my only option.

“Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives. When there was still joy and passion in my life. Thank you for allowing me to hopefully put a smile on your face. I’ve never been one to be okay with disappointing anyone.

“And before I do anymore damage it’s time I step away. If one day I decided to return … I hope there will be at least someone there to return to who still has some faith in me as an entertainer and as a human being. Until then. Stacy Layne Matthews out!”

 

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Stacey Layne Matthews made her Drag Race debut in season three, before coming out as a trans woman following her stint on the show. The North Carolina queen returned to the franchise and made a cameo appearance on All Stars 4.

Matthews is not the first Drag Race queen to step away from drag citing mental health reasons. Copper Topp announced her hiatus from drag after her “hardest” two years and proclamation “I am not okay” in a heartfelt Twitter post at the beginning of October.

This was followed at the end of October by Anetra stating that she is “stepping away from drag” but “only for a moment” after a “very difficult” year. This came after the cancellation of her UK tour titled ‘YOU BETTER WALK THAT F**KING DUCK’ that was due to commence on 20 October in Dublin and travel across nine dates across the UK.

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