Earlier this year, Drag Race competitor Mimi Imfurst (Braden Chapman) admitted to making unwanted sexual advances online toward at least two contestants of Philly Drag Wars (a popular competition with the same set-up as Drag Race).

This week, another resident of Philidelphia Jimmy Boone posted to Facebook accusing Drag Race competitor Mimi Imfurst (Braden Chapman) of sexual assault.

With a trigger warning, Boone – co-founder of Drag Queen Entertainment – wrote:

“After almost six years of thinking “Should I say something?” or “Will anyone actually care?”…. I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to share one of my first experiences in the “Local Drag Scene.”

He goes on to say how he and his boyfriend, Joseph Cassise III, had signed up to be unpaid extras in Imfurst’s upcoming music video.

“Joey hadn’t even performed in drag yet, and the gig was for us to be guys in our bathing suits around the pool. We get to the house in Cherry Hill, NJ where the video is being filmed and wait for Mimi to be ready. Once Mimi was ready to go, she came out of the sliding glass door of the house, walked down the deck right to where Joey and I were standing.

“She looked me up and down and then proceeded to fondle my genitals through my bathing suit and held on until she was able to feel every part she wanted to. While she did this, she very flirtatiously asked “…and who are you?”

He adds that he didn’t say anything because of Mimi’s influential position on the Philly drag scene, and his boyfriend wanted to audition for Philly Drag Wars and thought speaking up might harm his chances.

Speaking with Instinct magazine, Boone tells him he was inspired to speak out when he found out that Imfurst had done this multiple times to multiple men.

“Her grabbing people’s crotches and grabbing genitalia used to be a part of Philly Drag Wars, so it almost was like an accepted part of the culture.” He also alleges that Mimi is notoriously difficult to work with.

Boone says he’s been overwhelmed by the responses on social media is grateful for the support of the other queens. But he isn’t looking for an apology…

“I do not want or need an apology. I have already moved past it in that sense […]I don’t wish harm on her or wish her to lose jobs, but she has proven that when she is in a position of power, that power is abused. I don’t think she should be in any position of power. Unfortunately, what she is doing and the events with Live Nation put her in a position of power.”

Well, you can’t wish for her to keep her job but not have power… they are, as Boone basically states, one and the same.

However, Mimi categorically denies these allegations, telling Instinct:

“Jimmy Boone’s allegations are 100% false. I have had numerous altercations with Jimmy since Fall 2018. He has demonstrated a constant pattern of trying to undercut my business, at any cost. This lie is just another desperate attempt as he seeks professional gain for his own company.”

A Second Accusation

Another drag queen, Miss Troy, has also made claims against Imfurst. He details:

“I had met Braden (Mimi Imfurst) after one of the shows. At this point, I had never heard anything negative about Mimi & had only known her from TV. My boyfriend at the time was talking to Mimi and shortly after speaking, she leaned in and kissed him. I walked up as she was doing it, and then she grabbed me, leaned in and kissed me too; it was kind of weird.”

He goes to accuse the star of derogatory jokes, gaslighting, and profiting off the hard work of other queens. Is that last part different from Drag Race – or any other business – though?

Mimi responded by branding Miss Troy a “troubled person with a history of maliciousness”. Adding that he is a notoriously sore loser, which manifested itself when he came second in his cycle on Drag Wars.

Mimi concluded her response, adding: “I admit that I have acted inappropriately in the past. It was embarrassing and hurtful to others; I owned up to my behavior and I have apologized. It is something that I think about every single day with remorse as I strive to be a better person.

“That being said I refuse to apologize for the lies from two angry cis white male competitors, trying to weaponize petty drag drama and my polarizing drag character to co-opt some of the most important social justice movements of our lifetime for their own personal gain and vendetta.”

Earlier this year multiple men came forward to accuse Season 12’s Sherry Pie of catfishing them and coercing them into sex acts.