Miss Universe eliminates age limits for all global pageants

New York, NY — The Miss Universe Organization announced the elimination of all age limits across the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) and all associated pageants for their 2024 season.

This was announced as R’Bonney Gabriel, current titleholder, walked as a surprise model in fashion label Tanner Fletcher’s NYFW SS24 show, for a collection titled “Beauty Pageant.” The show featured models of all ages, reminding the audience that women and beauty are not defined by age – and that the Miss Universe program should not be, either. “During our January show, R’Bonney was asked about an age extension, and she said – ‘if not now, when?’,” said Amy Emmerich, CEO of MUO. “She was our muse in making this decision, but it’s been a long time coming. As women, we all understand that youth is not and has never been a requirement for beauty, and there’s no reason why it should be a requirement for Miss Universe.”
This change will apply for all 2024 pageants globally. Starting then, every adult woman in the world will be eligible to compete to be Miss Universe. (Contestants must be 18 to join, and Miss Teen USA rules will not be changed.)

Paula Shugart, MUO President, said, “For years, we’ve had requests from fans and partners all over the world, reminding us that there is not a place for this restriction in an inclusive organization like ours. We agree, and look forward to this next chapter of the Miss Universe legacy.”Gabriel said, “As the oldest titleholder to date, I was very close to aging out of the competition myself, and I wanted my legacy here to be a shift in how we think about beauty and age going forward. I’m so glad to see that this will be a permanent change for my Miss Universe sisters.”“We are thrilled to have partnered with the Miss Universe Organization on a Beauty Pageant of our very own,’ says Fletcher Kasell, Co-Founder/ Co-Creative Director of Tanner Fletcher. “It’s wonderful to open up the world of Tanner Fletcher to other organizations who share a similar, uplifting and empowering vision. We are aligned on the belief that all people no matter the societal boxes they have been put into deserve to act as their authentic selves and be celebrated for it.”

For the 2023 season, Miss Universe also lifted restrictions around married women, divorced women, pregnant women, and mothers joining the program. To date, two mothers will be competing in this year’s finale. That show will take place in El Salvador on November 18 2023.

R’Bonney Gabriel of the United States Crowned Miss Universe 2022

The Miss Universe Pageant crowned Miss Universe 2023 R’Bonney Gabriel of the United States following the competition form New Orleans, Louisiana. Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel becomes the first Filipina American to capture the title and the first Miss USA to capture the title in ten years since Olivia Culpo won the Miss Universe 2012 title.

Miss Universe Moves To Streaming

The 71^st Miss Universe competition is the latest TV event making the move to streaming. The Roku Channel has sealed a one-year deal to be the official English-language home for Miss Universe, which will stream live from New Orleans on January 14, 2023, at 7 p.m. ET.

Among the changes in the move: Steve Harvey, who had hosted for five years as part of the pageant’s deal with Fox (with the exception of 2021, when that pact was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic), also won’t be back. According to Miss Universe Organization CEO Amy Emmerich, a new host — expected to be a female — will be announced in the coming weeks.

Emmerich had just joined Miss Universe in January, and has been busy looking at ways to reform and refresh the organization. And with the U.S. English-language deal up (it continues to also air in Spanish on Telemundo), Emmerich said she was looking to reimagine Miss Universe’s global distribution.

“I would love to offer one large package and go global because the global audience is so massive, but we’re tied up in a lot of different territory deals,” she says. “That won’t end for another year. So, we said, OK, the best thing that can happen for this brand is go to a place that’s also starting anew. Right away WME suggested Roku. I’m familiar with [Roku originals head] David [Eilenberg] from the past and he had just joined there. From the first conversation, you kind of knew it was the place to be. Roku just always had a personality. They really are consistent with who they are, even with the original programming to come. And Miss Universe needed take some chances.”

“As more and more marquee events move to streaming, we’re excited to bring these exclusive experiences for free to our audience,” said Roku programming VP Rob Holmes.

Because it’s on a streaming service, the Miss Universe 2023 event will be seen live across the country. Emmerich said Miss Universe and Roku are currently looking at unique ways to play with commercial breaks and other telecast elements.

“Now that we have Roku, what exclusively can we do for them during this commercial space that that audience can feel like they’re seeing more of the inside, behind the scenes,” she says. “I joined here hoping to bring a level of transparency that I don’t think exists at the organization and Roku kind of loved that idea. It’s also a great time to just watch the data and see what works.”

Miss USA 2022

R’Bonney Gabriel of Texas captured the crown of Miss USA 2022 during the live telecast from Reno, Nevada on October 2, 2022. Miss USA 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel will represent the United States at the Miss Universe Pageant scheduled for January 14. 2023, in New Orleans, Louisiana. R’Bonney Gabriel becomes the first Filipino-American woman to wear the crown of Miss USA. Miss USA 2022 is a fashion designer who designed her own ensemble. As stated by R’Bonney, “I am a fashion designer; I actually made the outfit I’m wearing,” she said. “I up-cycle pieces and recycle different clothing to be more sustainable in my industry because I feel it’s my duty. So I think that’s something we can all look for in our certain industries and in our homes — to be more sustainable.”

Look for the Pageantry magazine feature and interview with Muss USA 2022 R”Bonney Gabriel in the Winter 2022 edition of Pageantry magazine and Pageantry Digital magazine.

Miss Teen USA 2022

Miss Teen USA 2022 was held October 1, 2022 in Reno, Nevada and Miss Teen USA 2022 Faron Medhi of Nebraska captured the crown of Miss Teen USA. Miss Teen USA 2022 Faron Medhi becomes the first woman of Indian American descent to capture the title of Miss Teen USA.

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