A beauty pageant winner has slammed Miss America, saying she refused to sign a contact with the organization that she says was against her beliefs.
Kayleigh Bush was crowned Miss North Florida in September 2024. She told TMZ that she was stripped of her title after refusing to sign a revised contract from the organization.
“I was unwilling to agree that little boys can become girls and I took a stand against the Miss America organization and lost my crown as a result of that,” she told the outlet in an interview published on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for Miss America denied Bush’s claim, telling TMZ that she “retained her crown” but “simply did not go forward because she refuse to sign the contract every other contestant signed.”
Newsweek has contacted Bush for comment via Liberty Counsel, a conservative legal organization. Miss America has been contacted for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions in pageant organizations over eligibility standards and nondiscrimination rules.
According to Miss America’s updated rules, contestants must be “a female,” aged 18 to 28, unmarried, with no children and a citizen of the United States. The rules state that a “female” includes “a born female or an individual who has fully completed Sex Reassignment Surgery.”
What To Know
Bush told TMZ that she took a stand after Miss America changed the rules after she won the Miss North Florida title.
“I was asked to sign a contract that was different than the first one that I had agreed to, because they had changed it four weeks after I rightly won,” she said. “And so I didn’t lose my crown because I broke a rule, I lost the crown because I was unwilling to rewrite the truth.”
She said she and her mother had immediately raised their concerns about the new contract.
“We got on a conference call immediately with one of the directors for the Miss America organization,” she said. “And weeks and weeks and weeks of pleading with them, sending videos, sending letters, emails, demand letters through Liberty Counsel because they picked up my case and they just said ‘no, no, no,’ and they doubled down.”
Conservatives on social media rallied behind Bush, including former collegiate swimmer and conservative activist Riley Gaines.
What People Are Saying
Kayleigh Bush told TMZ: “It was disappointing because Miss America has been honoring women for over 100 years and now they can’t even define what a woman is.”
A spokesperson for Miss America said in a statement to TMZ: “Miss America’s position is grounded in uniform application of its rules, fairness to all contestants and adherence to nondiscrimination principles. The contract does not compel Ms. Bush to compromise her personal beliefs; it requires only that all contestants compete under the same standards and refrain from discriminatory conduct towards others.”
Liz Doyle, the founder and executive director of She Leads America, wrote on Facebook on Wednesday: “Last year, She Leads America crowned Kayleigh Bush as Miss She Leads America and honored her as our 2025 Young Christian Woman of Distinction. This week, she joined us in Washington, D.C. for the She Leads the Nations Summit — and we had the job of celebrating her 20th birthday together.
“After lunch, Kayleigh toured the Capitol. As she exited, she was unexpectedly approached by TMZ reporters. With grace, confidence, and clarity, she shared her perspective — representing her faith and convictions with poise well beyond her years.”
The conservative Libs of TikTok account shared Bush’s interview with TMZ on X, adding: “MEN CANNOT BE WOMEN.”
Conservative influencer Gunther Eagleman wrote on X: “I guess @MissAmerica wants to go the way of yesterday. Have fun going BANKRUPT.”
