RuPaul Responds in the Best Way to 'Drag Race' Winner Tyra Sanchez's Vile Post About The Vivienne's Death

"RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 2 winner Tyra Sanchez drew heat – and a slap-down from RuPaul himself – for a vile social media post about the death of "Drag Race U.K." winner The Vivienne.

Sanchez's post, which was widely decried among drag artists and "Drag Race" alums, was seemingly a response to something The Vivienne had tweeted four years ago.

"In 2020, The Vivienne had written on X/Twitter, in reference to Netflix using a different drag queen's photo to promote the season finale of 'Drag Race': 'Bet Tyra was fuming when she realized Netflix spoiled the win too, Sorry gal. You tried though,'" U.K. newspaper The Independent backgrounded.

In a Jan. 5 post, Sanchez resurrected that years-old post, retweeting it with the comment: "Yet it doesn't compare to the fumes of the crematorium."

The tweet went out the same day reports of The Vivienne's death made headlines, and prompted an immediate backlash.

"A number of other drag queens replied, calling Tyra 'embarrassing' and 'repulsive,'" the Independent relayed, and RuPaul Charles – the creative force behind the "Drag Race" franchise – also weighed in after a long silence during which RuPaul was reportedly giving careful consideration as to his response to the tragedy.

"With a broken heart, I join the entire Drag Race universe in mourning the loss of The Vivienne–an incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being," RuPaul posted at Instagram on Jan. 6.

The BBC noted that RuPaul posted another message at X, writing, "She will be dearly missed, but her legacy will live on as a beacon of creativity and authenticity – she embodied what it means to be a true champion".

More pointedly, RuPaul posted a subsequent message at the platform that seemed to be a rebuke to Sanchez: A gif in which a video snippet repeatedly played a moment in which RuPaul, in full drag, slaps Sanchez across the face and then glares at her in challenge when she throws a dirty look back.

The gif drew plaudits from commentators, with one declaring, "That's mother right there‼️," while others added, "Mother has spoken," "GET HER, MOTHER!!!!!," and "Hell yeah mama".

There were also calls for RuPaul to snatch the crown off Sanchez for her "Drag Race" win, the Independent noted.

Others were just as direct in their condemnation of Sanchez's post, with Kandy Muse commenting: "I've defended you for years but now you can absolutely go f*** yourself and if our path were to ever cross it's absolutely on sight b****, it's not a threat it's a promise, you disgusting person."

"Threat received," Sanchez shot back. "Prepare your funeral."

But now Sanchez seems to have gone silent. The offending tweet – and Sanchez's X account – appeared to have been deleted as of Jan. 9.

UK newspaper the Daily Mail recalled that The Vivienne "had been one of the breakout stars of BBC series 'RuPaul's Drag Race'," having "won the first UK series in 2019 with a successful combination of honesty, catty putdowns and an excellent impersonation of Donald Trump.

"The show became an instant hit, with the series being streamed more than 15million times on iPlayer," the Mail added.

The Mail also reported that, according to a source, RuPaul has been so hard hit by the loss that he "is now seriously considering standing down from hosting the UK franchise, which will always be associated with The Viv."

The source told the Mail that "The Vivienne was one of his brightest stars and everyone knows what a soft spot he had for them.

"He has been left absolutely devastated by their passing," the source added.