NBC Names Miss USA Timeslot Understudy; Mexico Bails On Miss Universe
Donald Trump’s campaign comments about Mexican immigrants continues to cause beauty-pageant chaos.
NBC just announced it will air its “USA Vs. The World” episode of American Ninja Warrior on July 12 in the timeslot where it was to have aired the Miss USA Pageant. Fitting, somehow. NBC announced yesterday it would not air either the upcoming Miss USA pageant, scheduled for July 12, or the Miss Universe pageants, both of which it co-owns with Trump, and was ending its relationship with Trump in the wake of his radioactive comments.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported last night Mexico is not sending a contestant to this year’s Miss Universe pageant after part owner and POTUS candidate Trump made comments about Mexican immigrants. The announcement was made by Mexican broadcaster Televisa which, Reuters explained, organizes the pageant to select a Mexican candidate for the pageant.
“For Televisa, any commercial relationship with the Miss Universe pageant and with the companies of the Trump organization is unacceptable,” Televisa said last night in a statement. Four days earlier, Spanish-language Univision, which is part-owned by Televisa, said it would not air the Miss USA pageant on July 12 and cut ties to the Miss Universe Organization, Reuters said.
NBC’s scheduling update comes hours after the 2015 Miss USA pageant organizers issued a statement saying the pageant still will take place on July 12, though NBC and Univision both have bailed on broadcasting the annual event in the wake of Trump’s controversial remarks.
Yesterday, in announcing its decision, NBC said, “At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values.”
“Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump.”
Univision beat NBC to the punch by a week, which left some industry pundits wondering what took NBC so long; the day Trump made his controversial remarks, NBC issued a statement saying it did not endorse them.
The real estate tycoon, who has said he will sue Univision and may sue NBC as well, made the radioactive remarks earlier this month as he announced his POTUS candidacy:
“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
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