RuPaul's Drag Race star Stacy Layne Matthews hospitalized over spinal issue: 'Lost control of my legs'
Published on January 15, 2026 EDT Henny revealed that she's in the hospital after enduring a health scare on an airplane from Michigan to Arizona, and had to pull out of a planned performance.

RuPaul's Drag Race season 3 icon Stacy Layne Matthews revealed that she was admitted to the hospital following a scary situation involving the loss of mobility in her legs.

The franchise legend — who also returned to perform during a fan-favorite girl group challenge on All Stars 4 — shared two videos over the weekend, outlining her bout with a spinal condition that forced her to pull out of a show in Arizona.

"I was having some issues with my back. I had another show in Flagstaff, Ariz. I don’t know what happened, but I started having issues with the mobility in my legs. When I got off the plane at Flagstaff, I literally lost control of my legs," Matthews said in one of the clips, which she filmed from a hospital bed with a breathing tube in her nose. "They’ve done a CT scan. I have spinal stenosis, it’s affecting my legs. I want to apologize to people that came to the show in Flagstaff they expected to see me, but I wasn’t there."

Paramount+

Stacy also apologized to her supporters who traveled to see her in Flagstaff, stressing: "I’m sorry, but I have no control over the situation, so, hopefully I get this figured out. I‘m a long way from home, but, health comes first. I’m just trying to figure it out."

In a follow-up video, the performer — also affectionately known by Drag Race fans and Mama RuPaul herself as Henny — said that doctors recommended sending her "to a rehabilitation center to get my legs back working right," because she currently can't fly due to the stenosis.

"Please help me. I promise I won't ask for anyone's help again. I'm here alone. My insurance won't pay for rehab and I just wanna go home," Stacy said in the post's caption. "After all this, I will continue to suffer in silence. I can't handle anymore negative comments. If you want to help... That would be great. If you can't just pray for me. I'm just tired and don't want to be here."

When reached for comment, Stacy tells Entertainment Weekly via private message: "They just wanna focus on physical therapy to [better the] use of my legs because of the compromised nerves running to them from my spine."

According to the Mayo Clinic, spinal stenosis occurs when there is not enough space inside the backbone, which puts pressure on the spinal cord and spinal nerves.

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Stacy has long been a popular queen among Drag Race fans since making her debut on the show in 2011, where she famously won the Snatch Game celebrity impersonation challenge for her portrayal of Oscar-winning actress Mo'Nique. She was eliminated on the following episode, placing eighth in the overall competition.

In April 2023, Stacy recounted another health scare, for which she sought treatment at another hospital and asked fans to pray for her recovery.

Watch Stacy's new video about her spinal stenosis above.

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