The new Miss America said it was 'so frustrating' to hear the Miss Universe CEO's comments praising blond hair and blue eyes
Courtesy of Miss America
- In November, Miss Universe CEO Anne Jakrajutatip praised the new Miss Universe's blond hair and blue eyes.
- She said Miss Universe didn't need to evolve because "we already got the best here."
- New Miss America Abbie Stockard told BI that Jakrajutatip's remarks were "so frustrating to hear."
Miss Universe CEO Anne Jakrajutatip shocked the pageant community when she praised Miss Universe winner Victoria Kjær Theilvig's blond hair and blue eyes, calling them "the best."
"We have blond and blue eyes, so we're coming to the ultimate evolution already," Jakrajutatip said during a November press conference when a reporter asked her if the Miss Universe pageant still needed to evolve. "We don't need any more evolution here. We already got the best here."
Jakrajutatip's remarks angered some pageant queens and left others unbothered, like Miss Universe first runner-up Chidimma Adetshina.
In a recent interview with Business Insider, the new Miss America Abbie Stockard said she took issue with Jakrajutatip's words.
"That's just so frustrating to hear because I know I fall into that category, and it just seems like it takes away from all the hard work I put into it," Stockard said. "I think people have to know that."
Representatives for Miss Universe and Jakrajutatip did not respond to a request for comment from BI.
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Stockard grew up watching Miss America on television every year but only began competing during her first year at Auburn University, where she's currently a nursing student.
"My mom was working four jobs at the time, and I was looking for a way to relieve some of that financial burden on my family," said Stockard, adding that she has acquired over $89,000 in scholarship money from the organization, $50,000 of which came from winning the Miss America title on January 5.
"I fell in love with this organization and everything that it stands for," Stockard added. "And what I learned was that it doesn't matter if you have any previous pageant experience or not; you can win no matter how many years you've been doing it. And I'm excited to use this story of mine to inspire other young women."
Both Miss America and Miss USA — the latter of which is part of the Miss Universe Organization and now overseen by Jakrajutatip — have undergone big changes over the past few years amid their own controversies.
Sam Haskell ran the Miss America Organization for 12 years before he stepped down in 2017 after his vulgar internal emails about past Miss America winners were leaked to the press. He was replaced by former Fox News host and Miss America 1989 Gretchen Carlson, who removed the swimsuit round from the competition. She resigned in June 2019 after Cara Mund, who was Miss America at the time, spoke out against her leadership.
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Miss USA made headlines in October 2022 when then-president Crystle Stewart was suspended after contestants said that year's pageant had been rigged. Jakrajutatip took over the Miss Universe Organization that same month.
"We seek not only to continue its legacy of providing a platform to passionate individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and traditions but also to evolve the brand for the next generation," she said in a statement sent to BI at the time.
In August 2023, it was announced that Jakrajutatip had sold the Miss USA license to Laylah Rose. In May 2024, Miss USA Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava both resigned within days of each other. It was the first time in the pageant's 72-year history that a woman had given up her title.
Their mothers, Jackeline Voigt and Barbara Srivastava, told BI in an interview at the time that their daughters experienced "eight months of torture and abuse" while working with Rose. Miss USA and Rose did not respond to BI's previous requests for comment on the mothers' statements.
Courtesy of Miss America
These ongoing controversies have helped diminish the luster of pageant competitions in America, where they once had prime-time slots on major networks and were watched by millions of people.
Stockard told BI she thinks Miss America is "going to continue evolving." She hopes to show the world there's far more to the title than physical appearance.
"Miss America is not just a pretty face; she's a force to be reckoned with," Stockard said. "The young women in this organization, they are mentors, they are role models, they are the leaders of tomorrow."