2 days ago
Drag Race's Xunami Muse moves to Panama—cites 'complicated' U.S. 'situation'
Xunami Muse, a crowned Miss Congeniality and beloved queen in the RuPaul's Drag Race franchise, shared a statement to announce that she's relocated to Panama — explaining that her "situation in the United States was a difficult and complicated one." While filming season 16 of Drag Race, Xunami disclosed that she had been legally residing in the U.S. under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.
Earlier on Wednesday, Xunami shared an Instagram post in Spanish that, translated into English, reads:
"Watch out world!I have something to tell you. From now on, I will be living in my beautiful land of Panama. You heard that right, I left the States! And the reason is simple: To be able to explore the WORLD! My situation in the United States was a difficult and complicated one, but it introduced many blessings into my life. This August, we're touring Europe, and then in November, we're playing Australia!And so I'm going to take this moment to tell you that if you want to see me in your countries, send me a message via this email teamxunami@ and let's make it a reality! There are so many countries I would love to visit to share our love of DRAG!Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Nicaragua, Argentina, Spain, England, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, France, the Philippines, Japan, China, Thailand, Canada, South Africa, and, well, wherever the art of drag is celebrated!I hope to eat your meals, dance to your songs, and learn the dirty words of your languages! [laughing emojis]. I just touched down in my beautiful land of Panama, and I will spend it with my family, fighting here for our thing, reconnecting with my roots, and lots of practice for the Haus of Aja tour!!! I love you, and thank you so much for all the love and good vibes you always share with details later. But, for now, FROM PANAMA TO THE WORLD!!!"
Xunami Muse's latest Instagram post announcing this relocation to Panama has been filled with emotional and supportive comments from RuPaul's Drag Race alumni, fans, creative partners, and beyond.
RELATED:
Below are responses from Geneva Karr, Leexa Fox, Alyssa Hunter, Jorgeous, Morphine Love Dion, Lucky Starzzz, Raja, Kandy Muse, and Symone.
Instagram (@xunamimuse)
RuPaul's Drag Race alumni react to Xunami Muse's Instagram post about relocating to Panama.
Nicky Doll, Dahlia Sin, Luxx Noir London, Mhi'ya Iman Le'Paige, Marko Monroe, Gigi Goode, Plane Jane, Denali, and June Jambalaya were also among the top comments under Xunami's post.
You can read their responses below.
Instagram (@xunamimuse)
RuPaul's Drag Race alumni react to Xunami Muse's Instagram post about relocating to Panama.
Famous for her infectious laughter and sense of humor even while facing adversities, Xunami subsequently replied (in Spanish) to a few fans asking her questions (in Spanish) via X posts. The following exchanges have been translated into English.
A fan asked, "If you leave the United States, can you not return?"
"I really don't know," Xunami responded.
Another fan wrote, "I can already imagine @XunamiMuse as the patron saint of drag in Panama. Periodt. This is gonna be fun."
"BUT OF COURSE!!! The Panamanian Nicky Doll [laughing emojis]," Xunami replied.
Another fan commented on X, "Chiqui [a term of endearment] nooo!!!! Panamá is a mess at this moment. USA is a better option."
"I prefer fighting in my homeland than to fight in foreign territory! I'm not here for other people's business anymore, I'm here for my own! [laughing emoji; heart emojis]," Xunami wrote.
An emotional discussion about DACA was one of Xunami's standout moments in the werk room of Drag Race season 16 — which filmed in 2023 and aired in 2024. During those scenes, Xunami disclosed her legal resident status in the U.S. under DACA and explained to her fellow costars what that meant.
"I really didn't know, like, what I was gonna do, if that hadn't gone through. It was during the Obama administration," she explained in the werk room. "We literally would not be able to be here if it wasn't for that. So, thank you, Obama!"
RELATED:
Xunami went on, "DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and it is a law that came into effect to grant kids — with no papers — a work permit and a Social Security Number so that they can be another member of this society. DACA is why I'm able to legally work and also be on Drag Race."
"We're not citizens," she noted. "We're kind of in limbo. We're legally here because we were already here, but we don't have the full rights of a citizen."
Xunami also broke down while discussing what being on Drag Race meant for her.
"When I got the call for this, I literally—I was, like, bawling," she said. "I was like, 'I'm finally having a shot to live my dreams,' you know?"
- YouTube
Xunami also discussed the fan reaction to her DACA segment on Drag Race in an exit interview from February 2024.
"A lot of people who are of the same experience have been saying things like, 'Thank you. I feel seen.' For me, there was a fear of just even letting people know, right? There are so many people who are malicious," Xunami told Out at the time. "Although we are protected, we're not fully protected…But at that moment, it just felt like, 'Yeah, this is what we go through.' It was really nothing other than that, you know what I mean? Sharing our reality in that moment and showing our humanity. We love the drag, and we love the aesthetics, and the glam, and all of it — but who are these people?"
'RuPaul's Drag Race' alumni and fans are also reacting to Xunami Muse's update via X.
Xunami Muse on RuPaul's Drag Race season 16.
Kandy Muse, Xunami's drag mother, wrote in an X post:
"It's a very bitter sweet day today, please respect my privacy- but my best friend & drag daughter has officially moved out of the united states and has relocated to her beautiful home in Panama- while I will miss you so much, I cannot wait till u finally discover the world [mending heart emoji]."
X user @CTprogressive_ replied to Kandy's post, "DACA queens are self-deporting now [broken heart emoji] I hate how this country treats immigrants. She deserved better."
Kandy re-posted that X user, adding:
"It's the harsh reality of living in the United States."
Drag Race season 12 winner Jaida Essence Hall wrote:
"Love you @XunamiMuse."
Xunami's season 16 costar, Mirage, wrote:
"Love you Xunami can't wait to come visit."
YouTuber and content creator @GreenGayYT wrote the X post below, which was then re-shared by Kandy.
"Thinking about when Xunami spoke on s16 about being DACA recipient & the blessings that came from that policy. But now we have Trump who plans on getting rid of it entirely. Can't imagine any immigrant feeling safe in the states at all [frowning face emoji]."
Xunami Muse will soon be going on the Haus of Aja tour along with her drag family — Aja, Kandy Muse, and Dahlia Sin — across Europe and Australia.
For tickets and more information about the tour, you can visit . Tickets for the , as well as the , are all available for purchase.
This story is still developing…
This article originally appeared on Out: Drag Race's Xunami Muse moves to Panama—cites 'complicated' U.S. 'situation'
Solve the daily Crossword
