The Miss USA pageant has been rescued and will air, after all.
Since NBC and Univision both dropped the pageant and the backlash continues from Donald Trump’s comments on illegal immigrants, the fate of the Miss USA pageant has been hanging in the balance.
The Miss USA pageant will still air on the original date, but they will have to find lots of new talent.
All of the original listed performers have dropped out of the Miss USA pageant, including rapper Flo Rida, country singer Craig Wayne Boyd, and pop singer Natalie La Rose. In addition to that, all but one of the original judges and hosts have abandoned ship, including HGTV star Jonathan Scott, E! News anchor Terrence Jenkins.
Also among those to say goodbye to the Miss USA pageant this year were TV host and former Miss Universe winner Zuleyka Rivera and Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.
In a statement from Reelz CEO Stan E. Hubbard, he said that the pageant and the women who compete in it “are an integral part of American tradition.”
He added, “As one of only a few independent networks, we decided to exercise our own voice and committed ourselves to bringing this pageant to American viewers everywhere.”
The statement made no mention of Donald Trump.
In an interview, Hubbard made it clear that Trump will not make any money from the Miss USA pageant.
“I completely understand why millions of people were offended by what Donald Trump said. I think his comments were incredibly insensitive and wrong. I disagree with them completely and totally. I also believe this pageant is as nonpolitical” as an event can be.
He added, “The point is that people who were offended want to make sure he’s (Trump) not going to profit from our decision,” and he insisted that won’t happen.
What do you think about all the backlash that the Miss USA pageant has had to endure because of Donald Trump’s comments?