Miss USA crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert the winner as scandal-hit pageant heralds ‘new era’

Audrey Eckert from Nebraska was named Miss USA on Friday, because the scandal-hit annual pageant returned underneath new possession.

The 22-year-old digital security advocate beat 50 different contestants to say the crown on the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. Ivy Harrington from New Jersey and Chantéa McIntyre from Oregon had been named first and second runners-up.

The occasion capped nearly 18 months of turbulence for the long-running contest, which underwent an acrimonious change in management following the resignation of Miss USA 2023, Utah’s Noelia Voigt, amid allegations of mistreatment.

With the occasion’s new organizers heralding a “new era,” Friday’s finale concluded 5 days of occasions spanning swimwear competitions, eveningwear parades and Q&As with judges.

Eckert, a former cheerleader and graduate of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, fell to her knees when her victory was introduced, overcome with emotion in a blizzard of gold streamers.

In a break from custom, she was topped by reigning Miss Universe Victoria Kjær Theilvig quite than by final yr’s winner, Alma Cooper of Michigan, who was not in attendance. Voigt in the meantime made a shock return to the pageant as a number for the official on-line broadcast, having co-hosted one of many preliminary competitions on Wednesday.

The Miss USA pageant was plunged into controversy final May, when Voigt and then-reigning Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, resigned inside days of each other. Voigt initially attributed her resolution to psychological well being issues, however social media customers noticed that the primary letters of the primary 11 sentences of her cryptic submit spelled “I am silenced,” sparking rumors of a strict non-disclosure settlement.

Her resignation letter, later seen by CNN, alleged a “toxic work environment” that “at best, is poor management and, at worst, is bullying and harassment.” Voigt additionally claimed the pageant’s organizers had failed to offer an “effective handler,” leading to her being sexually harassed throughout a Christmas parade occasion in Florida whereas alone with an unnamed individual in a automobile. Miss USA’s then president, Laylah Rose, has constantly denied allegations of wrongdoing.

Last month, American businessman Thom Brodeur introduced he had acquired the rights to Miss USA and Miss Teen USA from the Miss Universe Organization, which controls each licenses. The 10-year deal sees him assume the function of Miss USA’s president and CEO, however Rose – nonetheless posting through the pageant’s official Instagram account – rejected this, writing in a since-deleted submit that she had not seen “any new contracts regarding any transfer of ownership.”

The Miss Universe Organization later issued a statement confirming Brodeur’s acquisition, calling it a “new chapter” within the pageant’s “storied history.” Miss Universe’s co-owner JKN Global Group then filed a lawsuit in opposition to Rose’s firm VVV Global, alleging the agency had breached its contract and introduced the Miss USA model “into disrepute.” The swimsuit additionally reiterated Voigt’s earlier claims, whereas accusing Rose of “mistreating pageant contestants, winners, staff and volunteers.”

In a press release, emailed to CNN by Rose, VVV Global mentioned it was nonetheless “committed to the pageant world” and “eager to obtain a full 12-year license agreement for the … pageants as promised from JKN.” The firm has additionally filed a countersuit denying allegations of wrongdoing, whereas claiming over $116 million in damages and misplaced income.

About per week after JKN’s grievance was filed, Brodeur wrote on Instagram that he had “officially regained access” to Miss USA’s social media accounts. The businessman and founding father of Brodeur Beauty declined CNN’s request for touch upon his imaginative and prescient for the pageant, although he has beforehand tried to attract a line underneath latest occasions. Speaking to People journal final month about Voight Voigt and Srivastava’s resignations, he said: “There was some pretty egregious NDA language that suppressed the voices of those two young women and did not give them the ability to speak about their journey. I want to remove that restriction.”

Founded in 1952, the Miss USA group has undergone a number of adjustments in management in recent times. Donald Trump owned the pageant, in addition to the Miss Universe Organization, from 1996 to 2015, when he bought each to WME-IMG. JKN Global Group, a conglomerate based by Thai businesswoman Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, acquired each Miss Universe and Miss USA in 2022.

Prior to Rose’s appointment, former Miss USA Crystle Stewart had operated the American pageant’s license, although she stepped down after changing into embroiled in a scandal that included claims of favoritism towards the 2022 winner R’Bonney Gabriel. (Gabriel later went on to win Miss Universe.) Stewart denied allegations that the pageant was rigged, and an inside investigation concluded no rigging occurred.

This yr’s contest started Monday with a “state costume” competitors, received by Miss Missouri, Shae Smith. Other preliminary contests and closed-door interviews noticed the 51 contestants narrowed all the way down to a prime 16, with an extra 4 advancing to the ultimate by way of a public vote.

During an on-stage Q&A with judges — together with 2014’s Miss USA, and star of “The Valley,” Nia Sanchez — contestants fielded questions on matters starting from illustration within the media to the way forward for synthetic intelligence.

More than a dozen of this yr’s contributors had been aged 30 or above, after Miss USA lifted longstanding guidelines in 2024 banning ladies aged over 28 (in addition to married ladies and moms) from getting into. Among them was 44-year-old Miss Delaware, Tetra Shockley, who grew to become the oldest individual ever to compete within the pageant. Miss New Hampshire, MonaLesa Brackett, in the meantime grew to become the primary girl to compete sporting a hijab.

Friday’s pageant additionally marked the primary time Miss USA has not been televised because it was first broadcast on CBS in 1963. It was as an alternative broadcast through a specialist magnificence and pageantry streaming service.

Eckert will now go on to compete on the 74th Miss Universe pageant in Thailand subsequent month. The USA is essentially the most profitable nation within the contest’s historical past, with 9 American entrants occurring to say the title in its 73-year historical past.

On Thursday evening, in the meantime, highschool pupil and aspiring dermatologist Mailyn Marsh, of Missouri, was named this yr’s Miss Teen USA, a companion title for contestants aged 14 to 19.