'Wheel of Fortune' Winner Infuriates Viewers

Michelle Visage has sparked outrage online following her appearance on the Wheel of Fortune.

The Ru Paul's Drag Race star appeared on the U.K. edition of the popular game show on Sunday.

Visage—whose real name is Michelle Lynn Shupack—starred alongside British comedians Eddie Kadi and Tom Allen, with the 55-year-old winning £43,000 (roughly $54,000) for her chosen charity. She donated the cash prize to Gendered Intelligence, an organization that supports transgender and gender-questioning people.

However, her choice of charity caused uproar amongst some viewers.

"£43k to a gender charity what a waste," said Carl on X, formerly Twitter.

"What a f****** p*** take and a waste of money," wrote @mechocolatelate.

"The mind boggles!" said @annh_me.

"I'll give you all the gender intelligence you need to know. 2 genders. The end," commented J.

Newsweek reached out to Michelle Visage for comment via email. ITV declined to comment.

A spokesperson for Gendered Intelligence told Newsweek: "We're so grateful to Michelle Visage for choosing to support us with her Wheel of Fortune win.

"That money will help provide groups and activities for young people, as well as supporting our work to raise the bar for trans people through training and education."

The charity said it's tough supporting transgender people when "hate is rising year-on-year."

"This kind of support is an important reminder," the spokesperson added. "Not just to us, but to our young people—that there are people who care."

Last year saw a rise in discrimination towards transgender people in the U.K., according to a government report. In 2023, 4,732 hate crimes against transgender people were reported to U.K. police, an 11 percent increase since 2022.

The report suggested remarks by U.K. politicians, such as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, may have fed into the surge in hate crimes.

Sunak was slammed by LGBTQ+ charities and activists in October, following his speech at the Conservative conference.

"We shouldn't get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be," the 43-year-old said. "A man is a man and a woman is a woman. That's just common sense."

Sunak came under fire again in February, after making "shameful" comments about transgender people in Parliament.

Sunak accused Labour leader Keir Starmer of making a U-turn on "defining a woman," after the opposition chief paid tribute to Brianna Ghey.

The transgender teenager from Culcheth, England, was stabbed to death in February 2023. Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, who were 15 when they attacked Ghey, were sentenced to 22 years in prison for her murder. The killing was designated a hate crime, with prosecutors applying for an increased sentence.

Ghey's mother, Esther Ghey, was present at the time of Sunak's remarks. She described the prime minister as "parading as a man of integrity when he's got absolutely no responsibility."

Visage has long been an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. Formerly a member of the pop group Seduction, Visage became co-host of The RuPaul Show in 1996.

She has since worked on several projects with the drag icon, but is best known for her time on RuPaul's Drag Race, the reality competition in which drag performers battle it out to win $200,000.

After a number of guest appearances, Visage became a permanent judge on RuPaul's Drag Race in 2011. She began producing the show in 2019, winning the Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition Program in 2019.

The charity edition of Wheel of Fortune isn't the first U.K. reality show Visage has taken part in. The TV personality has a huge fanbase across the pond, with Visage appearing in Celebrity Big Brother in 2015—coming in fifth place—and Strictly Come Dancing, the dance competition that inspired Dancing with the Stars.

Update 03/05/24 07:35 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Gendered Intelligence.