Why Rupaul Fired Delta Work & Mathu Andersen 

Pretty accurate, thank you for the mention. Very comprehensive! Also, for reiteration (because I know you already said it) neither the makeup artist or myself were responsible for the first look on season nine. Mathu did not do that look either. Because NO CREATIVE TEAM was on set after Mathu’s exit, the host was responsible for her own hair and make up in the green lace dress. Also, The last season of the show that I worked on DID receive a nomination and an Emmy win. I was listed as department chair of hair as well as the key hairstylist to RuPaul for that season and I showed up to work every day. Which means that myself and Michelle’s hairstylist would be the names pushed forward in the nomination process. That would have been AND IS my second Emmy win because as the screen credits show I was literally the only person responsible for the key hairstyling and was department chair. But rather than be uncomfortable with my presence at the awards, the production company chose to erase me and hide behind the policy that each production company can remove whoever they want from an Emmy nomination. Essentially only two names appeared on every screen credit for that season. But, in a loophole, the production company can eliminate any of those names that they want based on their own ethical prerogative. Interesting that they didn’t read the contract for the Emmys governing season nine when they moved us forward even though we didn’t qualify for a nomination but then for season 11 they would read the contract clearly enough to know that they could find a way to discredit and erase me. Another interesting move from not just a production company comprised of queer people but queer leaders who advocate that we stand up for ourselves and we take up as much space as we need and we dream to achieve. I wasn’t asking for anything that wasn’t mine. I showed up for every day of work. I turned in every time card. My name was on every single screen credit. I did exactly what was asked of me. I was already a member of the Academy with a previous win. The production company failed me not just as an alumni but as a creative producer on the show. I didn’t apply for that job they head-hunted me SPECIFICALLY for it. I dropped everything to be part of their production company. I believed in them. But not one person stood up behind me to say that I was right. There are so many more layers to this but people aren’t prepared for that because it discredits a company that has not done them wrong specifically and brings so much joy by showcasing beautiful drag entertainers. There always has to be collateral damage. And that’s me. Thank you for sharing this as accurately as you could without personal accounts from which to draw. Everybody Say Love, I guess.

they started to pay his medical bills after a year or so. they didn't pay it at first. they let him languish in a state run hospital after being "family" for 25 years (everybody say love). the casting nomination was also amended that year so that meant 3 out of 8 nominations were incorrect due to World of Wonder knowingly nominating the wrong people. When the Television Academy offered to nominate Mathu instead of the Raven and Delta, they DECLINED. (again- EVERYBODY SAY LOVE)

As interesting as this is, I'm not in the fandom for RuPaul. It's her name on the show, and there's no denying how she paved the way for queer people in American media, but I don't tune in every week for her. It's the queens I am there for. RuPaul is just part of the background for me

The theory that Ru wants to be the only major queen would hold up if that drag race contract that was examined was true. In it there is legal verbiage that controls pretty much everything of a queens success from appearing on the show.

I'm not trying to come for her or anything, I really love her, but am I the only one who doesn't really believe Willam's stories and details 100% anymore? 😭

It's not personal, it's show business. Also, RuPaul's makeup and hair have been absolute perfection in my opinion.

You outdid yourself with this video! Veeery well done, interesting and entertaining. Congrats :)

Mathu came up with the whole concept the RuPaul‘s look. He deserves more credit. Give Mathu his flowers.

Hey! You missed a rather big chunk about Mathu. He & his then partner Zaldy (who still makes Rus gowns) were hired to turn him into "Supermodel" Ru and basically did everything for him since 1994. Zaldy clothes, Mathu the rest. They created the Ru we know, not Ru. 15 years of work for Mathu & Zaldy still gets $10k a frock! Times that by franchises & episodes.

Ru may be the hostess, but imo, the stars of the show are the contestants. Thank you for doing a great job on this video. 👏

LMAO Not Ru not being able to recognize a WORLD OF WONDER worker while at the Emmys 😭😭

I’ve always found it ironic that Ru sits there judging queens makeup, costumes, wigs, etc when it takes a whole team to construct the Rupaul we are presented. I’d be interested to see what Ru would look like if it was left to her now because I feel it’s got to be a long time since she’s had to do any of it

Ru is very clearly too ingrained in the star mindset; I genuinely don't think he even realizes how much he depends on hundreds of other people to make his world go round.

Honestly, I'd be interested in you doing a video on Willam being the most "hated queen" by RuPaul and WOW in general. A long video detailing all of Willams fights with WOW, including the Matthew Andersen incident mentioned in this video, could be so interesting!

Also, in her podcast with Raja, Delta mentioned that when she wanted to set up a booth in Dragcon, she was not even offered the alumni discount...talk about freaking salty 😕

I'm glad you're introducing newer fans to Mathu. Their work extends past RuPaul one of my favorites is the makeup Mathu did for TLC in No Scrubs. The makeup in that video stands the test of time, it's one of my first music videos I've ever seen a cut crease! He's a big inspiration to many makeup artists, photographers, etc.

Despite Willam’s approach to a lot of things not being the best some of the time, they are a great person who does what’s right from what I’ve seen. Between hearing this and how they were apparently the only one to tell Sharon off on season 4 for saying the n word to other stories from behind the scenes, they are truly one of the best drag queens ever.

it just goes to show that no matter what industry and what level you work at, no matter the circunstances, your boss is never your friend. the company that hired you is never your friend. never forget that.

can we just appreciate how willam is one of the only girls that will go toe to toe with Ru

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for putting Mathu Anderson’s name out there for the kids. Ru’s and WOWs erasure of Mathu Anderson is the biggest and main reason I can’t ever be a fan of RuPaul as a person

if rupaul can't even remember nina bonina brown i don't expect him to remember a WOW employee tbh

It's terrible hearing how Delta Work & Mathu Anderson were treated smh. Karma always comes back that's for sure.

a great video as usual! something abt rupaul screaming "how f*cking dare you" to willam in a car is SENDING ME💀

Willam is literally such a role model when it comes to work ethic and morals. Nobody gets left behind. Nobody gets chopped off over petty nonsense and drama. I love her so much. ♡

It’s frustrating when I see people pretend that this network or this show being LGBT makes them somehow exempt from the negative energy that is concentric to the Hollywood machine.

honestly as a very new viewer of drag race i really appreciate these types of videos bc i am oh so very confused all the time regarding these people ✋😭

Willam has had moments in the past of maybe not always saying the right thing in every moment but you can't deny that they are a good person who's always had their friends backs. One of the only people to call Sharon out for her shit on season 4 or even doing everything they did on season 4 to get the cast to be treated fairly. I've always loved Willam. They deserve the world.

Ur editing has improved so much!!! Yessss ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Delta didn't concede to production's demands, so they replaced her. Happens at every company. Lesson here is your coworkers are NOT your family and WILL NOT have your best interests. It's business.

As much I as I love Raven's drag persona, I cannot say the same for David, we obviously don't know the two sides of this story, but when Delta said that Raven told her that, I kinda of got off her boat (and yes, I know Delta is not America's sweetheart, but come on, can you at least not be mean to her?). It was the breaking point for me. David seems to be an... unpleaseant person, and even though I will still support her drag and admire how she changed the makeup game for Drag Race, it was disappointing to realize that a lots of queens say that he is not a friendly person.

Mathu also worked on early seasons of ANTM with Sutan. They both are soo talented.

Who was the one that just lost his mind? Lucian? Id love to see something about him, it was always an obscure part of dragrace.

Living for the shade for American health care lmao

Willam knows so much of behind the scenes of everything, i love that she tells when something is wrong. For me, she's one of the best queens out there, love her so much

No one painted Ru like Mathu.

The fact that production wanted Delta to work full-time, and on people other than RuPaul herself, as well as be part of the union, should not be surprising to anyone. I'm surprised they EVER let a non-union hair person work on a show like that. Production doesn't have time to worry about your other gigs and schedule, they want someone available for them when they need.

Ok but what happened to delta happened because she didn’t want to play the Hollywood game. Good for her for sticking to her guns, but no one succeeds in Hollywood unless they play the game, and playing the game means doing what you are told. It sounds like delta let her ego get in the way of her bag, and that’s on her. And although I’m sure Ru has a big ego, the idea that delta’s Emmy win for hair was somehow a threat to Ru that Ru didn’t like makes no sense. No one knows delta outside of drag race, and really a lot of fans of the show don’t know her. She posed no risk whatsoever. If anything, it would’ve been delta thanking mathu during her speech that would’ve pissed Ru off. Ru can be petty like that. But again, that goes back to playing the game. When you are not a big star, you cannot piss off those who are. You have to be quiet and just do your work. Now delta has pretty much nothing while raven, who did keep her mouth shut and played the game, gets to travel around the world, appear on drag race, and continue to make bank working for ru.

WOAH I NEVER KNEW THAT ABOUT THE SEASON 9 PREMIERE THAT MAKES SM SENSE!!! I remember watching it at a classmates house in high school and was so confused why ru wasnt in drag like the whole episode? Especially w lady gaga as the guest host! Wow wild times love these vids ty

Is there a video on Lucian Piane?.. dying to know the backstory on that one....

I wish the willam and ru fight was recorded Cuz that would've been one of the most iconic videos ever!

it sounds like they asked delta to work on AJ & The Queen and she refused to do what they wanted and then also refused to sit around and get paid to do nothing..? so they got a new hairstylist who would.

I do feel bad for what happened to Delta, but she should of just got the union license. Even if she needed to take out a loan. She had her foot in the door, and with her job she could of easily paid that off over time. She would have gotten everything she wanted if she just joined a Union. It sucks 😕

This is such a well done video. I thought i knew every ounce of drag race tea and backstories, but I learned a lot of things from your vid that i didn’t know.

"especially considering they unfortunately live in the United States" girl that sent me to mars lmao great vid!

Congratulate Delta on the Emmy. But to work on any type of serious show or production in any capacity or for any amount of time, you have to be in a union. That's just how it works and it protects workers in their respective fields. By refusing to join the union, unfortuantely, Delta made it very complicated and limiting for herself. As talented as she is, World of Wonder could get in very serious trouble continuously using a non union worker for their productions. For the AJ and The Queen, Warner Brothers would demand her be union. I get that $5,000 is expensive but you don't have to pay it all at once. You can pay in installments over a number of years as you get more work. When you're union you don't have to exclusively work on productions. She could still do her gigs or whatever else she wanted. I get she didn't want to work on everybody's hair. That is a totally different thing than what she does but by not joining the union you just closed the door on any tv/film/theater production work and that's that.

All these comments kicking down Delta are disgusting, it’s quite obvious that she was treated unfairly from the get, and you even spell it out very nicely. If you haven’t, I implore you to listen to her full Race Chaser interview with Alaska and Willam.

The main point that I think should be taken with heap of skepticism is Delta's point about this all happening because Delta won the emmy. Raven also won an emmy, in 2020, so if WoW was trying to keep other queens from winning emmys after Delta's 2018 win, it's odd that they would continue to put Raven up for nominations and then continue to work with her after she won.

It is quite normal for the entire cast and crew of a show having to be present everyday.... not sure why that would be an issue. They literally would pay delta to do nothing, so what's the problem?

Based on the video, it sounds pretty clear to me that RuPual ended the working relationship with Delta because of what happened to AJ and the queen.

I really don't get the fight with Mathu if it really was about increasing his pay. Drag Race went from a quaint reality show with a filter to disguise how cheap it was to a very valuable worldwide phenomenon. RuPaul himself definitely isn't hurting for money and they were close friends. Even worse that he didn't visit when Mathu was hospitalized.

Love that the queens are chiming in to confirm your tea. 💕🍵🫖 Also love that Mathu is wearing the same shirt in what looks like pretty much 2 different decades. 💕🎨👩🏻‍🎤 LEGENDS.

These videos are great exposure for everyone who's been robbed by Drag Race and WOW. Also made me think about some Leeja Miller videos I've seen and if Drag Race could be considered a monopoly. Particularly the way they corner any official and internationally recognized credits, work experience, exposure etc that could propel other queens to fame similar to RuPaul's status. The contracts definitely play a role, as does the abuse the queens get online. All together does it qualify as some kind of monopoly by legal definition? I'd love a deep dive

I need Giancarlo Esposito to play RuPaul in the dramatized version of all this, especially the yelling at the car

2:49 - "especially considering that they unfortunately live in the United States" 💀 💀 💀

It doesn’t seem as complicated as the video made it seem. Mathu wanted more money, they told him to go somewhere else. Delta wasn’t part of the union and wasn’t available full time, so they let her go.

I really don't like RuPaul. I know everything Ru has done for the community, but their influence ends with their personality. The werkroom talks are the worse, the arrogance and ego are visible. The queens are the reason I still watch the show, but Ru is becoming unbearable

Of course it’s understandable that Mathu demanded better pay cuz he literally did the work of 2 people not even counting on screen feature like being the photographer yeah remember the olde days where we still had random photo challenge? WOW is so cheap and shady it’s just abhorrent

This just shows how mistreated drag queens are in every industry, and how rupaul doesn’t have their best interests in mind

The most American thing is to refuse joining a union because it's "expensive", even if this would benefit them in the long run lol

When I saw the premiere of season 9 for the first time I thought RuPaul was just getting lazy and wouldn't get in drag for a non-elimination episode! 😂 Thanks for the great content!

Tbh there should be a video of Mathus looks!!! He is and was an icon out in the nightlife scene. I remember seeing him out and about serving lewks and teaching the children . I know a lot of people in the community looked up and respected mathu. He could make a wet paper bag look like a million bucks. Ru should have paid him. Shame on her

Rupaul was a customer of mine and he is NOT a nice person. The way how he would look at us as if we were beneath him is despicable. Very nasty person his energy is way off

Sort of like when Delta called everyone Booger. Who's the Booger now?

oh no, ru paul offered me a full time job on a huge netflix production !! what an evil bastard!!!

I really enjoyed watching the rise of RuPaul and counted myself as a fan years ago. From his interviews to his song 'Supermodel' and his appearances in the UK (which is where I'm from) I was hooked. We never had a representation of Drag quite like him in the UK. Our biggest drag star at the time was Lily Savage & Dame Edna who were both constructed to look older and far more camp. Ru brought glamour, sexiness and a fresh punky attitude to drag. The fact that he was black excited me too because he was seriously breaking the mould by being such a visible and cutting edge persona in the media at the time and challenged the norms of what we were used to seeing on TV. Ru was exciting back then. Since then, he's created this drag platform but has become pretty stagnant. The queens who are coming through are literally raising the bar every year and carrying the art of drag up and beyond anything Ru has done, and this is the sole reasin I only tune in to Drag Race. The freaking talented contestants! Ru has pretty much become a construction of other people's talents over the last 10 years. He just happens to be very savvy and wise and knows how to sell a persona and a business model, and that's not what I tune in to Drag Race for. Its the talents and the personalities of the girls I tune in to see. I know they're going to challenge the drag mould and break the glass ceiling. Ru had that moment years ago and did a great job, but its been broken over and over again since. Nothing Ru does now is new. Although he can take the credit for creating the platform, he can't take the credit for their talents, even if he does try to contractually.

I think Delta was naive, she was counting on the "good spirits" of the production, but girl, this is television, they look nice on camera, but behind the scenes everybody wants to take advantage. Ru doesn't even try to be nice on camera anymore.

Rupaul was threatened by Delta? LOL.

I miss Mathu Anderson & hope he’s okay

Let Serena chacha handle ru's wigs

I know this has nothing to do with the video but i can't stand Ross Mathews....

So in summary… she refused to join the union even though it was strongly suggested multiple times. Those literally exist to ensure fair pay and job security. That $5k fee would have paid for itself very quickly. I was expecting some juicy drama but it boils down to her stubbornness and stupid decisions. They even offered to pay her to just sit around most of the week ffs. Definitely a face palm for her, I’m sure she regrets that lol. I know I’m way late to the party, but I just came across this video

World of Wonder and RuPaul: "How can we ensure to get rid of the talented people working for us and make our reputation more and more miserable so that we HAVE to pick the unknown little DragQueens which will lead to dwindling numbers?" - fire Delta Work, fire Mathu Andersen, put up enslaving contracts which will ruin the queens one way or another, cause more trouble than worth it, put entire seasons into ONE streamingservice and hope it isn't adding to the pirating issue [...] Do I need to continue?

I know saying this is gonna make me sound like the asshole here, but… Why didn’t Delta just get the union? I know she said how much it costs and that’s not money that she had. But if she got union, this would’ve not been an issue. Also, what were they paying her that she couldn’t afford a union membership? Delta got screwed and she knows that. Raven was smart and removed any association with Delta.

The point about ru being the only queen with an emmy really doesn't hold water, Raven literally won an emmy the same year. With that and the idea that Delta wasn't allowed to experiment it seems like this was a pretty different situation from the mathu one, Ru didn't trust Delta to do a good job, I think that's all there is to it

I don’t work in the creative arts, so obviously I don’t understand how all of this works; that said, I’m not surprised that someone was let go who didn’t join the Union and, especially, someone who created such difficulty and conflict with the schedule and requested tasks. Again, I do not work in the creative arts - but I would not have been permitted to keep my job as a nurse, a mid level, and eventually a nursing educator if I had declined to join the state employee union. It was a requirement of my job. Additionally, I would not have been allowed to say I worked for only one patient or to decline to provide care to patients I did not wish to work with, and if I wanted to work part time when there were only full time positions available - I obviously would not be a good fit. Whatever happened with Mathu still strikes me as shady af, and I often wonder what happened to him and if he recovered, has passed away, or continues to reside in a hospice center; but I do not see any grand conspiracy against Delta. I am a big fan and will say for the third time that I do not work in creative arts. Maybe things are quite different in that setting. Based upon the type of workplaces in which healthcare workers and educators are often employed, though, I absolutely see why she may have been let go - particularly without a contract or union participation.

So all these 22 minutes are about Delta`s feelings? Oh please, get a grip gurl, its Hollywood....

sounds like Willam was butting into business that wasn't his.

Delta,you have to join a union to work in the industry. That's literally how it fuckin works.

Sounds like Delta should have just joined the Union as suggested to her multiple times.

Rupaul did the right thing to fire Delta... she is as toxic ad she was then

Well Delta “refused” the terms of employment for “Aj and the queen” I’m not sure what she expected when she asked what she did. She was probably seen as unreliable for not taking her employment with them seriously.

Delta seemed to shoot herself in the foot with the AJ and the Queen... Not sure why she'd complain about being paid to do nothing on set, especially if she couldn't afford the $5k? Also, that is pretty standard for filming a fictional show. That seems a little ungrateful and I'm not surprised they switched hairstylists. BUT WOW does seems pretty shady.

02:50 "They unfortunately live at the United States" I'm from Brazil. Politics here are hell right now, but you made my day reminding me that, at least, we have a good public health care system.

Willams photo used in the video : glam shot Ravens photo used in the video : glam shot Deltas photo used in the video : probably during a performance, mid turn. With the plethora of great pics of Delta you choose a mid turn... shady bitch (Trinity the tuck)

Delta really just has zero humility which is crazy considering how lame her looks are. How are you gonna be that overtly disrespectful to people over you? In front of ppl?? $5k to join a union over 2 years after being employed by WoW-ok poor thing

Do what’s right for you, but personally I think she should’ve joined IATSE (the union). It would’ve helped a lot of these problems as well as set up a huge future for her. Once you go union, you make way more money as well as having amazing benefits. She could’ve gone on to work on other shows after that.

I think delta was wrong… and that’s that.

Delta really needs to become professional!!!

Willams studio, the one where she films the majority of her online content (beat down, shoe hauls etc) is literally right across the street from the WOW production building. So willam and Ru running into each other is definitely very very likely, so I definitely believe that alteration happened

The hair was just not great. The hairline was always harsh.

Frankly this show is need to be called out like Ellen's show... We just see the shine in front the stage but the backstage stories are different... Many Queens, Rupaul, Producers are need to be called out...

It is absurd for Delta not to want to join the union. If she wants to further her career in Hollywood she IS REQUIRED to join the union. Most productions in Hollywood only use union talent.

one thing i will say is. for all the shit ru gets. it has to be very difficult coming from the time she did and seeing another friend go through the same thing. that is not an excuse for not visiting him, but i think it's an generational experience we do need to give her credit for.

Honestly thank god that they fired delta RuPaul look horrible on season 9 -11

The mathu situation is so sad. Especially since they had ru looking CORRECT. I hope one day that friendship can be mended and Ru make it right with mathu. Also, I don’t care who thinks I’m mean for saying this, but I don’t feel bad for delta. Delta shouldn’t have been surprised that she was let go. How are you going to make high demands like “I will only work on Ru’s hair” when she isn’t even a member of the union??? Gurl. I

Maybe Mathu needed the raise because of his health 😔

Everyone just absolutely loves to hate rupaul. This is what they mean when they say we eat ourselves. Ok, rupaul isn't perfect. Quit being so childish about it.

Honestly sounded like Delta fumbled her own bag. She was not trying to be a full time hairstylist for Rupaul And I think that’s what the whole gig was, arguing with a company about when you can be there. She lost the job on her own unfortunately

I really appreciate you researching and educating us on a topic that I’m so interested in knowing about. I’m obsessed with all things RuPaul Drag race haha

A lot of people fight over money. This reminds me of Jackie Martling asking for more money on Howard Stern and going on strike until they increased his paycheck, and they just replaced him.