Miss USA has been accused of mocking two of her fellow Miss Universe contestants for their use of the English language.
Sarah Rose Summers, who is representing the US in the competition, was filmed talking about Miss Cambodia and Miss Vietnam.
In the videos, she can be heard discussing their supposed inability to understand English, along with two other Miss Universe contestants. The footage has since disappeared due to it allegedly being posted as an Instagram Live on Summers’ account.
Miss USA, 24, spoke with Miss Colombia Valeria Morales and Miss Australia Francesca Hung about two Asian Miss Universe contestants.
The competition will be the 67th Miss Universe pageant, and will be held on Sunday, December 16 at Impact, Muang Thong Thani in Bangkok, Thailand. The previous year’s winner, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa, will crown her successor at the end of the event.
But it appears that controversy will murk this year’s contest, as Summers’ alleged mocking of her fellow contestants has gone viral.
Talking to the camera, the 24-year-old spoke with Morales and Hung about their opinions on Miss Vietnam H’Hen Nie, asking what they think of her. Both Australian Hung and Colombian Morales said she was so ‘cute’ and ‘fashion’, before Summers agreed, saying she was ‘hilarious’.
She then says:
And she pretends to know so much English and then you ask her a question, after having a whole conversation with her, and she goes…
At which point she smiles and nods, before laughing. She then ends by saying ‘she’s adorable,’ before laughing again.
Although the video has expired from her account, others screen grabbed it and posted it to their pages, questioning how this even happened.
You can take a look below:
The conversation continues and the three move on to discuss Miss Cambodia, Nat Rern. Again facing the camera, Summers talks about her use of the English language.
She says:
Miss Cambodia is here and doesn’t speak any English, and not a single person here speaks her language. Can you imagine? Francesca said that it would be very isolating and I think yes, and just confusing all the time.
She then turns to Miss Colombia and says:
You at least have other lang- I mean you do speak great English.
The 24-year-old Miss USA has since apologised for her actions, saying Miss Universe is ‘an opportunity for women from around the world to learn about each other’s cultures, life experiences, and views’.
She went on to write:
In a moment where I intended to admire the courage of a few of my sisters, I said something that I now realize can be perceived as not respectful, and I apologize.
My life, friendships, and career revolve around me being a compassionate and empathetic woman. I would never intend to hurt another.
I am grateful for opportunities to speak with Nat, Miss Cambodia, and H’Hen, Miss Vietnam, directly about this experience. These are the moments that matter most to me.
Miss Australia also uploaded a picture of the group to Instagram yesterday (December 14), showing Summers receiving a kiss from Miss Vietnam and standing side-by-side with Miss Cambodia.
The competition will air live on Sunday, December 16 at 7pm on FOX.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).