Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté started off Season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race with a bang. The South Carolina native impressed guest judge Lizzo during the very first maxi-challenge in the season premiere, and her signature sense of humor helped her stand out from the crowd - which is why fans were so shocked when the latest episode revealed that Kornbread’s time on Drag Race had come to an end after an ankle injury put her on the bench. Now, she's opening up about her departure and whether she'd return for Season 15.
Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté, a major presence on Instagram, discussed her stunning departure from RuPaul’s Drag Race during a recent interview with Billboard. The drag queen was already a fan favorite, which made it even more tragic when she was forced to leave during the fifth episode of Season 14 after rolling her ankle. So what exactly went down? Kornbread explained:
So, I twisted my ankle during the Super Tease challenge — I fully kept it to myself and did not say anything, I continued to do the challenge throughout the day. I didn’t wanna look weak or be wounded in front of anybody. I didn’t wanna be like, “Oh, Kornbread’s hurt, this is gonna be another thing to put a damper on the group or hinder them from moving on. Fight through it.” I fully wasn’t listening to my body, kept doing all of the physical stuff throughout the day. When I finally had a moment to sit and reflect, I was like, “Wow, I might have legit hurt myself...the doctor told me it was pretty bad, and that I needed to be off my ankle for 6-8 weeks.
The challenges on RuPaul’s Drag Race often require an elevated level of physicality that can often lead to injuries, especially when the participants are wearing six-inch heels. The fierce contestant gave a hilarious performance on the Super Tease challenge, but her commitment to the role caused her to roll her ankle during filming. Unfortunately for “The Snack,” that meant she had to take some time off to recuperate.
Recent seasons of the Emmy-winning reality show have been full of drama, including some casting backlash after the show’s first heterosexual male contestant was cast. However, Kornbread isn’t the first queen to go down with the ship. during Season 9, Eureka O’Hara tore her ACL after a cheerleading-inspired challenge and was invited back to compete on Season 10. After Jeté’s announcement, fans immediately wondered if RuPaul would extend the same offer. So will she get to slay another day? She revealed:
Ain’t nobody call me yet. If you could send a message to somebody over there, tell them to ring my phone. I’m waiting, they on speed dial, I got it on Do Not Disturb for everybody but them. [laughs] I would be elated to go back, but they ain’t said anything to me yet. But I’m hoping they let me back! It’s actually the 11th commandment — “thou shalt bring Kornbread’s ass back to the people’s TV.”
It’s devastating to see Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté go, but let’s keep our fingers crossed in the hope that the drag gods will bring her back for a well-deserved second chance in Season 15. In the meantime, new episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race will continue to air on VH1 on Fridays at 8 p.m. EST. Need some extra drag in your life? You can check out the global spin-off RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Versus The World, which is now streaming on WOW Presents Plus, or catch up on past seasons with your Hulu subscription.
