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Tyra (formerly known as Tyra Sanchez and King Tyra) is a drag performer, makeup artist and the winner of the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race. He also works under his government name James William Ross IV[5].
During his time on Drag Race, Ross went by the name Tyra Sanchez. He was also given popular nicknames, The Other Tyra & The New Tyra.
In 2020, James announced on his social media that he actively desires to detach himself from the Drag Race series. He is also retiring his 'Tyra Sanchez' alter ego, and now preferably goes by He/Him pronouns.[3]
In 2022, James announced on his social media that he would make his return to drag, performing exclusively on OnlyFans and not appearing on any other social media platforms under the preferred name King Tyra. Despite returning to the drag scene, he still wishes to be detached from Drag Race but "[wishes] them well in their future endeavors".[6]
Drag Name Origin
Tyra's drag mother was Angelica Sanchez Jones[7], an Orlando-based performer, part of the Haus of Sanchez (founded by Tyra's drag grandmother & pageant legend, Stasha Sanchez). His drag name was Tyra-Symoné Sanchez. Tyra means "God of Battle" and came from his niece's name, Tyra Nicole. Tyra was born prematurely, and her fight for her life greatly inspired him. Symoné came from Raven-Symoné, who he admires. "Sanchez" is from his former drag family.[8]
When James came out of retirement he wanted his name to be something new and fresh but also didn't want to be referred to as a queen either in or out of drag. He ended up changing his name to "King Tyra" to give it that little bit of masculinity, telling people he's a man without actually saying it.[4]
In 2025, Tyra revealed that he was no longer a part of the House of Sanchez, hence the removal of the last name.[9]
Track Records
| Statistics | USA Season 2 |
|---|---|
| Ranking: | 1st Place (Winner) |
| Maxi Challenges Won: | 3 (Eps. 3, 5, 9) |
| Mini Challenges Won: | 1 (Ep. 9) |
| Times as Team Captain: | 0 |
| Times in Bottom: | 0 |
| Episode Eliminated: | N/A |
Memorable Quotes
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 2
- "I'm not a bitch. I'm America's Sweetheart."
- "No, not Tyra, James is in the bible."
- "I actually based it off of my own son. He wakes up in the middle of the night to ask for a glass of water, and by the time I bring the water back to him, he's asleep again."
- "Beyoncé is just like me."
- "If you have a problem with me, address it."
- "It's almost like saying 'shut the fuck up or I'll make you shut up'."
- "Then why are you talking?" (to Tatianna)
- "Maybe next time I will sing and maybe she'll wear another horrible dress like she got on now." (referring to Tatianna)
- "Is this Jujubee here? Let me get to your level. Oh Ru, we got an OVERGROWN orangutan." (reading Jujubee)
- "Wow! I didn't even know I was nominated."
- "The fuck does that mean?" (referring to Raven's lipstick message)
- "I am a star. I am America's Next Drag SUPERstar."
- "I feel great, my dress looks amazing." (referring to her Wedding Eleganza runway look)
- "THIS GROOVE IS FOR MY GIRLS, LITTLE LADYBOYS AND GIRLS." (during the Rocker Chicks challenge)
Trivia
- James has a biological son.[10]
- RuPaul often called him "The Other Tyra", referring to her sharing a name with American model Tyra Banks.
- Tyra was the first winner...
- ...to have never ended up in the bottom two.
- ...of Drag Race to retire from drag.
- ...to win three challenges.
- ...to have been born in the United States.
- Tyra once held the title of being the youngest winner, winning at the age of 21.
- Krystal Versace of RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 3 currently holds this record, being 19 at the time of winning.[11]
- In 2012, a Kickstarter campaign was set up to help fund Drag Dad, a documentary that would center around James' life as a single father and a drag performer. The Kickstarter raised $20,641, surpassing its initial goal of $14,000. However, it was never announced and has ceased production due to multiple obstacles in Tyra's life.[12][13]
Controversies
In 2016, Tyra faced controversy after several tweets were made in which he both told a fan to "kill yourself bitch" after the fan said that he was annoying and later added that he does not have sympathy for those who take their own lives. In a further statement, he said that he feels bad for the families left behind and the anger toward his initial statement should be directed towards those who need help.[14]
In 2017, Tyra falsely claimed Morgan McMichaels had passed away on an obituary post on Facebook, writing, "This is such sad news to hear! 😢 I never thought I'd lose a sister! This hurts me to my heart! I'm gonna miss @morganmcmichaels #rip Please send her your condolences." The post ended with a link to Tyra's Soundcloud. Morgan followed up by going live on Facebook, saying "Still alive bitches! Cause I am not fucking around." Morgan later explained that the issue originally stemmed from her, Raven, and Tyra all being booked at the same time, and when Morgan threatened to pull out, the bar management decided to instead pull Tyra.[15]
In 2018, Tyra posted on X, saying, "Fair warning: DO NOT attend RuPaul’s DragCon on May 12, 2018. Don’t say I didn’t warn you." The post garnered mass attention and ended up getting reported to both the FBI and LAPD. The post came following her being banned from DragCon after threatening physical violence against Tatianna and Phi Phi O'Hara, the former of whom he had beef with earlier in the year. Tyra later claimed that the post was made to warn people not to go to an event that hosted people who had been racist and hostile toward her, but the ban remained in place.[16][17]
In October 2019, Tyra posted a lengthy apology to social media, in which she said of her behavior, "Though it represents emotions I may have felt, it does not represent my true character." In March of 2020, he announced that he would be retiring the drag character of Tyra Sanchez and quitting drag.[14] However, he later came back to drag in 2022.[18]
On July 6, 2023, it was announced that Tyra had been arrested after previously resisting a previous attempt at arrest after a car accident. He was arrested for breach of peace after causing traffic disruptions in a construction zone.[19]
In 2020, The Vivienne tweeted "Bet Tyra was fuming when she Realised Netflix Spoiled the win Too. Sorry gal. You Tried though." On January 5, 2025, immediately following the announcement of The Vivienne's passing, Tyra posted "Yet it doesn’t compare to the fumes of the crematorium." The post received major backlash, with Kandy Muse responding, "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 bitch, it’s not a threat it’s a promise. you disgusting person.” However, Tyra responded to the backlash with, "She’s dead. Rotting. Sending me all the hate in the world won’t bring her back. But do as you must. Because of you the tweet has reached over 25k individuals. Thanks for the much needed attention that I oh so desperately needed 🙄"[20][21] Following the backlash against Tyra, RuPaul posted a clip from Season 2 where she slapped Tyra with no caption, which many fans interpreted as RuPaul condemning Tyra's actions.[22]
In 2025, following the passing of Jiggly Caliente, Tyra once again took to her X account to comment on Jiggly's passing. On April 24, after Jiggly's health update was released, Tyra posted, "Not you officially and literally having to hop on dicks now 😂😂😂." Three days later, when Jiggly passed away, Tyra reposted her original post with the comment "I stand corrected. It’s evident the only thing you hoppin’ in is a casket 😬🙊🤷🏾♀️." These posts immediately garnered controversy similar to what occurred after The Vivienne's passing.[23][24] Tyra used the controversy to promote her album My Name is James.[25]
Gallery
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 2
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 2 Looks
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5 Looks
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 8
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 8 Looks
Videos
Filmography
TV
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 2 | Themself | Winner | [26] |
| 2010 | Drag Race: Untucked! | Themself | ||
| 2010 | 2010 New Now Next Awards | Themself | TV special | |
| 2011 | RuPaul's Drag U | Themself as Drag Professor | Episode: "Looking for a New Job" | [27] |
| 2012 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 4 | Themself | Episode: "The Final Three" (Guest) | |
| 2013 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 5 | Themself | Episode: "RuPaullywood or Bust" (Archive footage), Episode: "Lip Synch Extravaganza Eleganza" (Archive footage), Episode: "Reunited!" | |
| 2015 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 7 | Themself | Episode: "Grand Finale" | |
| 2016 | Skin Wars | Themself | Episode: "Miss Skin Wars", Episode: "Last Looks" (Archive footage) | [28] |
| 2016 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 8 | Themself | Episode: "Keeping It 100" (Special guest), Episode: "Grand Finale" |
Web Series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Drag Queens React | Themself | Guest | [29] |
| 2015-2017 | Hey Qween! | Themself | Episode: "Tyra Sanchez" (2015), Episode: "Tyra Sanchez" (2017) | [30][31] |
Music Videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Jealous of My Boogie" | RuPaul | [32] |
| 2012 | "Hey Jane" | Spiritualized | [33] |
Discography
EP's
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "Dear Drag Race Fans Book I" | Spoken word EP |
Mixtapes
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | "MY NAME IS JAMES" | Released as James Ross |
Single
| Year | Title | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Look At Me" | ||
| 2016 | "Vogue" | Non-Album Single |
Appearances/Fearures
| Year | Title | Artwork | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | "Why Are You Talking?" |  |
"RuPaul's Drag Race: The Rusical" by Tatianna & Tyra |
External Links
- AS Tyra:
References
| Winner | Tyra Sanchez |
|---|---|
| Runners-Up | 2nd: Raven • 3rd: Jujubee |
| Other Contestants | 4th: Tatianna • 5th: Pandora Boxx (Miss Congeniality) • 6th: Jessica Wild • 7th: Sahara Davenport • 8th: Morgan McMichaels • 9th: Sonique • 10th: Mystique • 11th: Nicole Paige Brooks • 12th: Shangela |
| Host | RuPaul |
| Judges | RuPaul • Santino Rice • Merle Ginsberg |
| Pit Crew | Emanuel Palmer • Max "The Body" Philisaire |