Some social media posts have recently suggested that RuPaul or his show RuPaul’s Drag Race are implicated in the newly released Epstein files, but that is not the case.
A document circulating online, an iTunes-style metadata export contained within the House Oversight Committee’s publicly released files, includes several TV show titles, among them RuPaul’s Drag Race, Pose, and Shadowhunters.
These references simply show that the titles appeared in an exported media library; they don’t indicate that RuPaul, the show’s creators, or any performers had any connection to Jeffrey Epstein or his crimes, no matter how much anti-LGBTQ+ pundits may wish to spin it that way.
It also remains unclear who the iTunes account belonged to, and the metadata alone cannot be used to draw conclusions about viewing history or personal involvement. The listings reflect only the presence of TV titles in a digital media export, not wrongdoing of any kind.
What are the Epstein files?
The “Epstein files” refers to the huge raft of documents that were amassed during criminal investigations into financer Jeffery Epstein’s sex trafficking of women and children, and include transcripts, records, and items confiscated during raids of his luxury properties.
Jeffrey Epstein died on 10 August 2019 while in federal custody, with New York’s medical examiner ruling his cause of death a suicide, though multiple conspiracy theories dispute this, with many online asserting that he was murdered as part of some kind of cover-up.
Epstein’s elite circle included US president Donald Trump and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – formerly Prince Andrew, Duke of York – whose historical relationships with Epstein have been the centre of ongoing controversy and speculation.
Earlier this week, a user on X – formerly known as Twitter – shared a screenshots from a page of exported metadata with references to RuPaul’s Drag Race highlighted. The user, @PartyyAndPlay, wrote alongside the images: “Why is rupaul literally in the Epstein files”. It is unclear it the screenshots are the user’s own or are taken from a third party.
The web URL at the bottom of the screenshot captured page shows the file was uploaded to PinPoint, a tool in Google’s Journalist Studio as part of its Digital News Initiative, which helps people, namely journalists, search through a complex range of documents for keywords, amongst other features. The tool itself was developed to help combat misinformation.
The X post subsequently found its way onto the RuPaul’s Drag Race subreddit and prompted much discussion amongst fans and the wider queer community.
It was important PinkNews fact-checked these posts for validity several reasons.
Firstly, the file uploaded to PinPoint might not have come from the Epstein files. In reality, it would be easy enough for someone with knowledge of data to create a fake document to look like an exported file, give it an official looking title and upload it to PinPoint. Those without knowledge of data would not necessarily be able to discern between a fake document and real file of exported data.
Secondly, given the wide-ranging anti-LGBTQ+ narratives in certain sections of politics at the moment, whereby drag queens are often – unjustly – accused of being child abusers and “groomers” it was vital to clarify what form, if any, RuPaul’s Drag Race appeared in the files. Without proper fact-checking, the implication could be taken by anti-drag and anti-LGBTQ+ pundits that the show’s appearance in the files suggests drag, as an art, culture and form of expression, is inherently involved in the abuse of minors – as Epstein was.
What we found:
A search of the House Oversight Committee‘s raft of declassified documents, some which were published on 12 November, revealed the same document as the one which was uploaded to PinPoint.
The document itself is located in the Committee’s DropBox as a .txt file under the name HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031966.
Indeed the data, which appears to be an export of an iTunes library, shows RuPaul’s Drag Race is mentioned 14 times, with Drag Race All Stars season 4 and RuPaul’s Drag Race season 10 mentioned.
Alongside the iconic drag contest, other queer focused shows like the first season of Pose and Shadowhunters season 3 are also mentioned in the file.
1993’s Tales of the City and the second season of Claws also appear.
It is unclear from the document alone if the iTunes account belonged to Epstein himself and this was is own personal watch history.
Will the full Epstein files be released?
Discussion of the document comes as both chambers of US Congress voted to order the US’s Justice Department to release all of its files on Epstein.
The House of Representatives approved the measure with an overwhelming 427-1 vote and the Senate agreed to pass the bill before it official received it.
The bill will then be sent on to Trump to sign. During the presidential campaign Trump promised to release the files in full only to subsequently, after winning the election, reverse his position, to the criticism of some of his strongest supporters.
When the House Oversight Committee released its huge sum of declassified files on 12 November, one email exchange between Epstein and his longtime colleague Ghislaine Maxwell – was jailed for 20 years for child trafficking in 2021 – quickly caught the attention of the press, public and politicians. In the exchange, Epstein referred to Trump “that dog that hasn’t barked” and claimed a victim spent “hours” with him.
“Of course, he knew about the girls,” he continued.
Last week, Trump was asked about the contents of the files to which he responded: “I know nothing about that. They would have announced that a long time ago. Jeffrey Epstein and I had a very bad relationship for many years.”
An off-camera female reporter for Bloomberg then asked if there was anything “incriminating” in the emails. Trump responded by pointing a finger in her face and saying: “Quiet. Quiet, Piggy.”
The post No, RuPaul is not mentioned in the Epstein files appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.