Sherry Pie Disqualified from 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Amid Catfishing Allegations

"Sherry will not appear in the grand finale scheduled to be filmed later this spring," a spokesperson for VH1 and World of Wonder said in a statement

Sherry Pie has been disqualified from RuPaul’s Drag Race amid allegations that the New York City-based performer had catfished multiple men.

“In light of recent developments and Sherry Pie’s statement, Sherry Pie has been disqualified from RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a spokesperson for VH1 and World of Wonder tweeted on Friday.

“Out of respect for the hard work of the other queens, VH1 will air the season as planned. Sherry will not appear in the grand finale scheduled to be filmed later this spring,” the statement concluded.

The announcement comes after Pie issued an apology for the “trauma” she caused. However, she did not specifically admit to catfishing.

In a statement on Facebook, Pie, né Joey Gugliemelli, wrote, “This is Joey, I want to start by saying how sorry I am that I caused such trauma and pain and how horribly embarrassed and disgusted I am with myself.”

“I know that the pain and hurt that I have caused will never go away and I know that what I did was wrong and truly cruel,” the statement continued.

“Until being on RuPaul’s Drag Race, I never really understood how much my mental health and taking care of things meant. I learned on that show how important ‘loving yourself’ is and I don’t think I have ever loved myself.”

Pie went on to reveal that “I have been seeking help and receiving treatment since coming back to NYC.”

“I truly apologize to everyone I have hurt with my actions. I also want to say how sorry I am to my sisters of season 12 and honestly the whole network and production company. all I can do is change the behavior and that starts with me doing that work.”

On Wednesday, actor Ben Shimkus accused Pie of catfishing him.

“I have a weird story to tell about Sherry Pie,” Shimkus wrote.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race season 12 started last week. It is an exciting time in the gay community. We get a chance for our culture to be broadcast on national television, an area that for too long has omitted our narrative, despite how much pop culture draws from our scene.”

Shimkus explained that he first met Pie at Cortland State University as they were both in the musical theatre program.

“It was Sherry who exposed me to the show. At the time she was a junior. The show was in the midst of their fifth season, and personalities like Alaska and Detox made me fall in love with the culture I now strive to take part in,” Shimkus wrote.

Shimkus shared that he and Pie “have an extensive history beyond our time at Cortland.”

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“We worked together at summerstock theatre in a small town in Western Michigan. In all, we performed in more than 15 shows together… The story takes a weird turn when I was a senior at cortland. Sherry was no longer attending the school at this point.”

Shimkus explained that one day he was informed by a friend of an acting opportunity at Playwrights Horizons in New York City. The friend told him to reach out to a casting director named Allison Mossey.

After sending an introductory email, Shimkus explained that Mossey “immediately seemed interested in my work.”

“Allison and I went through an email thread that lasted over 150 emails in about three weeks,” Shimkus revealed, adding that he eventually “had to film scenes that felt particularly sexual and awkward, but the opportunity seemed too good to let the overt sexual nature of my inhibitions get in the way.”

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“I wanted professional experience and the bright and shiny object on my resume,” Shimkus continued.

However, Shimkus shared he grew worried after he wouldn’t hear from Mossey for long periods of time.

“I eventually grew wearisome of the back and forth that seemed to be going nowhere and reached out to Playwright’s Horizons directly to ask about their relationship with Allison Mossey. The person that I contacted notified me that nobody within the company had ever heard of her,” Shimkus wrote.

Playwrights Horizons did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

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“I reached out to the friend who originally got this email contact. He too was in a callback for a different show with the same woman. I told him not to contact her again. I also asked where he had gotten the contact from. It was from Sherry Pie, who was adamant about her friendship with Allison,” Shimkus explained.

Soon, Shimkus grew to believe that Mossey was Pie.

“When I began telling my friends about what had happened to me, one of my best friends told me that a colleague who had worked at a theatre doing Hairspray with Sherry also had the same experience with Allison Mossey. Another friend said the same thing had happened to someone she knew. Her friend was also in close contact with Sherry. Wherever Sherry seemed to go, Allison would follow. Since being open about my experience, six people have corroborated stories with me.”

VH1

“I am writing this because I hope that nobody ever feels this way again. I also want to get the word out to people in our community that Allison is not looking to hire you at Playwright’s Horizons. Lastly, I hope that Sherry has learned that Allison is not a persona that she can hide behind if she wants to objectify other gay men,” Shimkus added.

In an investigation published by BuzzFeed, four other men, including students from SUNY Cortland, have accused Pie of pretending to be a casting director named Allison Mossey.

All of the men were asked to submit audition videos, some including masturbation scenes, BuzzFeed reported.

Season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race airs tonight at 8 p.m.