After NBC and Univision publicly refused to air the Miss USA pageant later this month in an effort to sever their business ties with Donald Trump, Reelz Network has agreed to pick up the controversial program.
In the wake of a series of Trump’s publicized antics over the past month, ranging from temper tantrums to downright racist diatribe, several cable networks have lashed out at the media mogul and GOP presidential contender by dropping the 54th Annual Miss USA Pageant, one of the highest-grossing spectacles produced through The Trump Organization.
Last month, Trump released a borderline infuriating 45-minute announcement of his bid for the presidency, laced with racially-charged epithets targeted primarily at the Hispanic community; he called Latino immigrants “rapists,” among other comments.
Since its June 16 release, the video has spread online like virtual wildfire, and Trump has struggled to put out the flames. After Univision and NBC cut the pageant, Macy’s followed suit in severing business ties with Trump, and he has reacted with a series of childish letters to CEOs, empty threats, and a 500-million-dollar lawsuit which Univision has called “legally ridiculous.”
Reelz has decided to follow tradition in its decision to air the pageant, rather than following the lead of its other cable counterparts.
“The decision on the part of Reelz to acquire the rights to the Miss USA Pageant was based on our belief that this special event, and the women who compete in it, are an integral part of American tradition,” Reelz CEO Stan E. Hubbard explained. “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 54th Annual Miss USA Pageant will air next Sunday, July 12, on Reelz Network, 8p.m. EST/5p.m. PST.