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‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ All-Star Aja Regrets Helping the Queen Who Eliminated Her, but She’s Still Defending Her
If you didn't know how cutthroat RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars 3 can get, the Feb. 22 episode made that excruciating clear. RuPaul's Drag Race Season 9 alum Aja got sent packing — or untucking, as the case may be — after Bebe Zahara Bonet, the winner of that episode, chose her for elimination. It was a ruthless move on Bebe's part — since Aja had just helped her sew her dress.
"Oh, I absolutely wish I'd never helped her," Aja, born Jay Rivera, told Entertainment Weekly in an exit interview. "Because now I'm like, 'What would've happened if I didn't help with her dress?' … But also, I'd rather help someone. I don't care that she sent me home after I made the base of her dress; I was a little more distraught with the fact that she didn't give me credit for it, or like a personal 'Hey girl, I won the challenge, thank you.' Then again, it's a competition, and everyone is just out to win, so it doesn't really matter. I'm not hung up on the little details, I'm just like, 'Work, congratulations, live your life, sis.'"
The writing seemed to be on the wall when, after landing in the bottom two, Aja had a chance to prove to Bebe why she deserved to keep racing and Bebe never let her get a word in edgewise. "Again, what can I do?" the 24-year-old said. "I feel like Bebe and I have very contrasting personalities. I felt like I was being a little lectured and being told that I did a great job. I was thinking, 'This is not about me doing a great job. You know the point of the deliberation is for me to plead my case,' but she made her decision, and there's nothing I could've said that would have changed that."
In true queen-like fashion, Aja even defended her executioner against racist trolls on social media after the episode aired. "Even though I didn't agree [Bebe's] decision, it doesn't warrant hate toward anyone," the Brooklyn native explained. "It's not Bebe's fault. If you put it into perspective, it's a show, get over it! We're supposed to do this. If you don't agree, just root for who you want to root for without tearing someone else down. I know what it feels like to be on the other end of that, so I don't want that for anybody… I can't control the fans, but the least I can do is try to put a message of peace out there."
Spoken like a true queen! Even if there's never any sort of All-Star All Stars spin-off, Aja can sashay away from the franchise with her head held high.
