RuPaul's Drag Race star DeJa Skye says she 'almost died' after multiple complications from weight loss surgery

The drag perfomer, whose real name is Willie Redman, said there were “lots of complications with the procedure”, which led her losing a lot of blood, having blood clots and her skin turning yellow.

The season 14 standout spoke about her health crisis during a chat with RuPaul when she returned to the franchise for season 10 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, which debuted on Friday (May 9) on Paramount+.

During the episode, a tribute was also to fellow drag performer and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Jiggly Caliente, real name Bianca Castro, who died recently at the age of 44. Bianca died on Sunday April 27, just days after she was treated in hospital due to a “severe infection” which led to her having her leg “amputated”.

35-year-old DeJa told how in late 2023 she had liposuction and a tummy tuck in Mexico. She had previously said on Instagram that while recovering from the operations she had to return to the hospital multiple times. There was one visit, she said, where doctors discovered she had blood clots in her lungs and legs that were preventing her from walking.

"It wasn't a very good experience, if I'm being honest," the star said on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, telling RuPaul she suffered "a lot of complications" from the procedure. She went on: "My body was like ‘no’. It was crazy, like, I legit almost died. And that was the darkest time, just sitting in the hospital bed alone and being like ‘why did I do this to myself?’”

She continued to explain why she had the surgery in the first place, revealing that she had insecurities about her body image.

"If I'm being 1,000% honest, nobody went to me and went ‘you need to lose weight’. I just got in my head" she said. "[I thought] 'maybe it would help my career? Maybe it would help my drag?' And in reality, I had it all before. It was just . . . I still don't know why I did it."

The star also admitted she regretted ever going under the knife. "Obviously I'm thinner, but I almost died on that table. And it made me realise that the voices in my head can be my worst f***ing enemy, and I want to do better moving forward."

Then, in episode 2, which also aired on May 9, DeJa candidly told her fellow competitors Aja, Irene the Alien, Bosco, Olivia Lux and Phoenix that she still struggles to believe in herself.

"I just constantly feel like I'm not good enough. I just don't know where it stems from," she said. "I don't know why I can't let myself just be happy for myself. For some reason I just care too much what people think,” she said.

First speaking about the procedure in an Instagram video posted back in January 2024, DeJa said that her mental health deteriorated while dealing with the many health complications that stemmed from her initial weight loss surgery.

"Going through it alone was a really big struggle," she said. "Mental health is real. I’ve never been depressed in my life but it’s hard to stay positive. It’s nothing to laugh at, it’s nothing to bat an eye to. I’ve never had anxiety before. It’s just . . . it’s extremely difficult."

She explained that she got her first sign that something wasn’t right when she was still in Mexico following the procedure when her skin began turning yellow. "I had to go back to the hospital and get three blood transfusions," she said. "I had lost a lot of blood."

Two weeks later, she returned to the United States but problems continued to present themselves. She was put on blood thinners to address the clots doctors found when she went to the hospital complaining of shortness of breath and pain in her legs. Then there were "a couple of days" where she experienced severe vomiting every two hours.

The drag star admitted she hadn’t thought about the potential side effects of the surgery, only the purpose of it.

"My body is just going through an insane amount of trauma," she said. "Recovery is a very slow process, and I didn’t think about that. Everyone I talk to is like, ‘it’ll be worth it.’ It is hard to look to the future when you’re in pain. If I knew it was going to be like this, I would have never gotten the surgery."

After her experience, DeJa told RuPaul on All Stars 10 that anyone who considers getting liposuction and a tummy tuck should "absolutely do their research." "Go and see a doctor and make sure your body is capable of those things," she said.

• RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10 airs on Paramount+ every Friday. Two episodes are available now.