'I'm Truly Sorry': Utica Queen Apologizes for Mean Streak on 'RPDR'

"RuPaul's Drag Race" found its Season 13 villain on Friday night (if only for one episode) in the person of Utica Queen, the Minnesota-based drag queen who idiosyncratic personality defied being categorized up to last week's episode. The lanky queen, whose wide smile and broad style brought to mind a hippie version of Carol Burnett, had stayed afloat in the competition thanks to his shrewd fashion sense and by simply defying being categorized. But what did him in on this week's episode was his seeming just mean in this week's challenge, a "Nice Girls Roast" that included contestants Nina West, Valentina and Heidi N Closet.

By their nature roasts push the boundaries of taste, but Utica took it to a new level as she ignored the suggestions by judges Michelle Visage and Loni Love to bring down the meanness with his roast jokes. Instead Utica ratcheted them up, resulting in one of the most uncomfortable sequences on the show this season.

After being sent home, she seemed oblivious to criticism, but tweeted an apology after the episode aired on Friday for her size-shaming jokes. "I want to apologize my performance in this ep of DR.
Especially to @LoniLove, @michellevisage, and @NinaWest, the jokes were in bad taste and my attempt at roast humor was for the lack of better words, horrible. Making fun of people's size is not okay. I'm truly sorry."

She was first called out, Pink News reports, during rehearsals when judges Michelle Visage and Loni Love suggested he tone down his offensive material. To which Utica hit back: "Does that trigger you? Does it? Whales, manatees... Does Dumbo ring a bell to you?" She also asked Loni if she "speaks whale too," which the guest judge called "harsh."

During her performance, she compared judge Ross Mathews to "Pumba from 'The Lion King,' said she thought Nina West 'could speak whale' and called Loni Love's comedy career 'hard to swallow'," Pink News adds. This led to the judge's negative critiques and RuPaul flipping Utica the bird twice.

In a conversation with Vulture, Utica acted like none of the criticism bothered her. "I feel like if we can have confidence when we're definitely bombing so hard, and just enjoy the time even if it's scary, that's the true gift of it all."

He was also far less critical of his own performance. "I literally felt like I could die happy," he told Vulture. "When I got flipped off by RuPaul and shaded by Loni, I literally was like, Well, I did it! [Laughs.] I did the thing!"

And feels that he may have faltered because insult humor isn't something he has done before. "This is my first experience with a roast and this type of joke-telling, insult humor. So I was trying to tap into that. I don't know if it was successful. I think it's difficult to step outside of the jokes and be like, Okay, what is appropriate and what isn't? But we're under such a time crunch that it's difficult to remedy that. Like, Okay, this is what I got, let's just go for it! And I am not, inherently, an offensive person, so when I heard that, I was like, Oh dear, I need to reevaluate. But there's not a lot of time. I don't want to offend anyone at all, but I did what I could."

She also apologized on Instagram, which led to responses from a number of the judges. "Loni assured Utica that 'no offense was taken' and that she thinks she's 'fabulous,' while Nina responded: 'Babe! It is a roast, and we were all in on it and fully aware it was a roast. Give yourself a little grace,'" reported Gay Times.

"Michelle shared the same sentiments, telling Utica that she doesn't need to apologise before reiterating her point that a roast has to be funny to succeed. 'Honestly, don't beat yourself up!' said the Steps star. 'Love you.'"

Other Drag Queen alum weighed in on Twitter: