By: Jenny Castro
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 11/09/25
Miss USA, the iconic and glamorous brand most well known in the U.S. for its high standards of beauty and scholastic achievement for women in pageantry has been through significant transition in recent years. A preliminary to Miss Universe (it’s parent entity), Miss USA is highly regarded as the epitome and ultimate cornerstone of American pageantry, but the organization has recently been overshadowed by recent shakeups and mounting national criticism in the wakes of multiple controversies including resignations and leadership changes.
Previously, the organization was under the leadership of Laylah Rose since 2023, who had been accused of bullying, harassment, and operating a toxic work environment by Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voight. In an unprecedented move, both Voight and Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava voluntarily relinquished their crowns last year which brought concern and national attention to the alleged mistreatment of contestants and titleholders within the organization. Both women had been under a strict NDA clause under Rose’s leadership which has continued since their resignation unabling them to speak freely on their experience. Currently, Rose is being sued by JKN Universe, LLC, owned by former Miss Universe CEO Anne Jakrajutatip who filed a lawsuit on October 3rd against Rose and her company VVV Global Enterprise. LLC, alleging breach of contract, mismanagement, failure to pay production company costs, failure to pay scholarship money, failure to pay Alma Cooper’s (Miss USA 2024) guaranteed $100,000.00 salary, and mistreatment of titleholders. According to the lawsuit, Rose’s actions have “tarnished” the Miss USA brand and have resulted in “significant monetary losses,” including a loss of contestants, state pageant directors, and sponsorships. It should be noted that winning contestants in the Miss and Teen categories typically receive a prize package coinciding with their year long reign and title. In the Miss division, the prize package in the past has included a brand new car, a year long salary, attendance to exclusive red carpet events, an apartment, speaking engagements, and a trip to Miss Universe.
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(Miss USA 2023, Noelia Voight, the first Venezuelan American to win the title)
Prior to Rose, the organization also faced allegations of rigging and favoritism under the directorship of Crystle Stewart (Former Miss USA 2008) which also damaged the pageant’s credibility with internal and external stakeholders. Stewart eventually left her role as President of Miss USA in 2023 while Max Sebrechts (Stewart’s then husband) and then Vice-President of the organization faced allegations of sexual harassment against contestants forcing his eventual resignation in 2021.
Despite the scrutiny and challenges the brand has faced, the future of Miss USA now looks bright. On September 15th, 2025, the Miss Universe Organization officially announced a change in leadership for Miss USA and established entrepreneur and visionary Thom Brodeur as its new President, Chairman, and CEO despite public pushback from Rose prior to the official announcement and press release. A much needed and urgent change according to many in the pageant industry, Brodeur brings years of experience in talent management, entrepreneurship, and pageant coaching to the organization and seeks to revitalize the brand and reputation.
Now, as it’s new President and CEO, Brodeur is very aware of the work that lies ahead in bringing trust, confidence, and respectability back to Miss USA. Speaking on the recent changes, he offers an optimistic and positive approach, “The core values that we will operate Miss USA and Teen USA under are the following,” Brodeur said. Adding, “And which I live my life by, and that is you lead with kindness and transparency. Which means you’re honest about challenging issues and moments that may arise because oftentimes I have learned through my corporate and entrepreneurial life is that if you’re willing to talk about what’s broken that means you’re committed to finding a way to fix it. Being reliably responsive and communicative is also so important in everything that we do in life, especially in our personal and professional relationships.”
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(Photo: Thom Brodeur)
Highly experienced in both the corporate tech world and as an entrepreneur, Brodeur’s vast knowledge and involvement in pageantry traces back to the mid 80s as he further explains, “I’ve been involved in the pageant industry first as just a fan, and then went into coaching, training, and developing young women across multiple pageant systems. I think I’ve judged about 185 local state, national, and international competitions over the last 30 years and have directed multiple states in the U.S, Mexico, and in the Miss World America and Miss World Mexico systems,” Brodeur said. For years, Brodeur has also been involved in consumer technology in SaaS software, consumer-driven ecommerce platforms, tech startups, and in senior level executive positions including his time as CEO of women’s lingerie based brand Yandy.com. In 2017, while Brodeur was CEO, Yandy partnered with the Miss USA organization where it provided the official swim and activewear for that year’s national competitions. Brodeur also runs Brodeur Beauties, a marketing and talent management company, and is also a founding shareholder of The Queen Beauty Network and CEO and Founder of the Pageant Fans app.
Reflecting on the brand as a whole, Brodeur emphasizes that the organization’s enduring success lies in its ability to evolve while staying true to its core mission of celebrating leadership, beauty, and purpose while providing a platform for women to act as advocates for their communities and acquiring growth both personally and professionally. “Miss USA and the Miss Universe parent brand have always been about the whole complete picture,” Brodeur said. Adding, “I often say that women that compete in this pageant can be unapologetically smart, ambitious, beautiful, and that nobody should tamper down the qualities that make a woman who she is because of a pop cultural standard that doesn’t necessarily embrace it. Miss USA and Miss Universe have driven a lot of change in the acceptance of beauty standards and the evolution of beauty standards over time. It used to be that beauty queens looked, talked, and walked a certain way, and it’s much more vast nowadays.”
Speaking on leadership in the industry, Brodeur notes the importance of business management skills that tie into managing personal branding to public appearances and building long term opportunities, something Miss USA intends to continue encouraging for their titleholders going forward. Stressing the importance of management, Brodeur explains, “There are a lot of people who don’t know how to run a business but want to be part of it. You have to be cut from the right kind of cloth to be in this business to begin with, especially when managing an organization or leading people in a highly emotional and volatile industry like this one. I can’t stress enough how important it is to be of a business mindset and not just somebody who has enough money to sort of buy the pageant or the telecast,” he said.
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(Photo: Miss USA 2025 Audrey Eckert)
When it pertains to mental health in the industry, it has become a hot topic in recent years most especially since the tragic passing and suicide of Cheslie Kryst (Former Attorney & Miss USA 2019) in 2022 at the age of 30. Her loss sparked a broader conversation about the pressures titleholders face and the need for greater mental health support within the industry. Speaking of mental health, Brodeur wants to make note of his team and co-directors, particularly as one of them (Elise Banks-Lovely) is a clinical psychotherapist and national board member of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). “I’m particularly proud of my team. It’s 95% women, 5% male” Brodeur said. Adding, “ I was very intentional in our selection process of who I wanted to lead this organization, because I wanted mental health to be built into our organizational leadership structure because this is hard and stressful work. I am a firm believer that if at the top we embrace a whole health approach for our young women, and communicate that to the state directors at the level where they come into the organization we will be able to help fortify and strengthen the contestants and titleholders.”
Recently, on October 24th, the 74th edition of Miss USA took place at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada where 51 contestants from around the country competed in both the Teen and Miss categories. Leading up to both coronation nights, preliminary competitions took place including state costume presentations, swimsuit, evening gown, and interview segments. Attendees and pageant fans from around the world tuned in to watch a variety of women from diverse backgrounds compete for the coveted crown and title marking a new era for the organization.
The event overall celebrated inclusivity, empowerment, and the evolving definition of beauty as Brodeur further emphasizes, “This year, all 51 contestants in both the Teen and Miss categories were some of the most diverse that I have seen in decades,” he said. Further adding, “And I feel like our job is to embrace that as the anchor of this brand has been the legacy of iconic women who have emerged from this system and gone on to accomplish remarkable things. Halle Berry, for example, is just one of many and there are dozens more who have made significant impacts across various industries. I think it’s important we embrace all that makes a woman remarkable, and I feel that’s what Miss USA is all about. It’s not just about a woman’s scholastic achievements, beauty, or her talent as a performer, but it’s about the full picture. We’re looking at the whole person, across every facet of who she is.”
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(Photo: Miss USA 2025 Audrey Eckert)
Brodeur also encourages women who may be interested in competing to seize the opportunity when it arises, and feels beyond grateful for taking the reign in leadership, “I remember being a young boy, and just inspired by the idea of lifting up women because as a child I did so with my mom in so many ways. Having the opportunity to do it at this scale is a huge blessing, but it’s also a huge responsibility I know my team and I hold in high regard. I’m excited to do this work as this brand has been through a lot of bumpiness over the last half dozen years, but I really do believe now is the time to bring equilibrium and restoration to get people to feel like they can trust it again. If we lead with our heart and a brain for business to make sure it’s successful, I think this opportunity will be one I’m most proud of doing in all of these years.”
As for this year’s recent pageant, congratulations to Mailyn Marsh of Missouri for winning Miss Teen USA, and Audrey Eckert of Nebraska for earning the title of Miss USA. Their victories mark an exciting new chapter for the organization under the leadership of Brodeur. In addition, Eckert is currently in Thailand representing the U.S. on the global stage at the Miss Universe competition with the final coronation night taking place Friday, November 21st, 2025.
Lastly, Brodeur expressed excitement for the future, noting that one key focus moving forward will be to provide more exclusive opportunities for titleholders and to restore Miss USA to its rightful place of prestige, authenticity, and cultural significance. “For Miss USA, I believe that being honest and open both with herself and with the rest of us, especially the women who aspire to follow in her footsteps is one of the most important qualities any state titleholder competing at the national or international level should embody
Follow Miss USA on Instagram to keep up with future events and pageant news.
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