Cardi B’s nail art guru Jenny Bui has responded to a controversial segment on RuPaul’s Drag Race, in which contestant Gia Gunn performed a bizarre impersonation of her that some fans felt tipped into racist stereotyping.
Cambodian-born Jenny, whose unique nail creations have earned her a huge following on Instagram, was clearly less than impressed by an impersonation by Gia, who is Japanese American.
Confessing early on that she knew very little about Jenny, but planned to portray her as ‘straight off the boat’, Gia adopted a stereotypical, generic accent, opened with the Japanese greeting konichiwa, and proceeded to attempt a string of jokes that implied Jenny was obsessed with sex and large penises, and was looking for a meal ticket to get out of nail work.
Judge Michelle Visage voiced her discomfort at Gia’s portrayal of Jenny as ‘a ho’, pointing out that the nail artist had an incredible story of survival and triumph after she escaped horrific persecution in Cambodia to build a successful business empire in the US.
Now Jenny has clapped back on Instagram, calling out Gia for her nonsense.
‘I’m honored to be featured on last nights episode of @Rupaulofficial ❤️. Unfortunately that’s not my accent, and the only thing off the boat is the “fresh” tilapia that you are allegedly serving. 💅🏾🌂☂️ @gia_gunn.’
Trans performer Gia, who has now been eliminated from the show, is not avoiding controversy since filming ended – taking a swipe at RuPaul over the host’s previous comments that he was unsure about casting trans contestants in the drag competition, feeling it gave them an unfair advantage. It’s a view RuPaul has since rejected and apologised for voicing.
‘F*** Miss RuPaul and her ignorant ass comments,’ Gia said during a recent performance. ‘We are coming into 2019. I’m tired of giving hos credit when they don’t deserve it.
‘Let me tell you guys who makes this whole thing go round: us queens and us as a community.’
In further Drag Race drama, Gia has claimed that she filmed a confrontation scene with RuPaul that was edited out of the broadcast episodes. Read all about it here.
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