The CW Drops Miss USA Pageant a Week Before Scheduled Airing

(L-R) McKenzie Ariana Kerry, Miss Iowa USA, Grace Rodi, Miss Illinois USA, Jessi Kalambayi, Miss Colorado USA, Samantha Ramos, Miss California USA, Aarieanna Ware, Miss Texas USA and Kaylee Brooke McCollum, Miss Mississippi USA, Najah Ali, Miss Nevada USA, Marizza Delgado, Miss New York USA and Kenzie Halsey, Miss North Carolina USA, Christell Foote, Miss Tennessee USA, and Bella Whitlock, Miss Kansas USA walk onstage during the 73rd annual Miss USA Pageant at Peacock Theater on August 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Contestants at the 73rd Miss USA in 2024. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

The Miss USA and Miss Teen USA competitions are headed back to streaming after being dropped at the 11th hour by their broadcast partner, The CW.

The Miss USA Organization said in a statement posted to social media late Thursday that a “contractual issue with our production arrangements” led to the scrapping of the two telecasts, which were scheduled to air Aug. 26 (Miss Teen USA) and Aug. 27 (Miss USA). The organization says it identified the issue two weeks ago.

“Since then, our team has worked diligently to explore options that would allow us to continue with a live broadcast on The CW,” the Miss USA statement reads. “Unfortunately, we were unable to reach mutually agreeable terms for this year’s event. While The CW will not be carrying a live broadcast of Miss USA this year, we are grateful for our relationship with the network and remain open to opportunities to work together in the future.”

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For its part, The CW said in a statement that “After careful consideration and conversations with the Miss USA Organization, The CW Network has decided to forego next week’s broadcasts of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants. We wish the organization and all of this year’s contestants well in the competition.”

The network referred further questions about the contract issue to Miss USA, which as of publication time had not responded to The Hollywood Reporter.

The CW aired Miss USA in 2023 and 2024, announcing a three-year deal to broadcast the competition a few months before the 2024 special. That did not last, however, and last year’s Miss USA and Miss Teen USA streamed on the Queen Beauty Network, a digital outlet focused on pageant and fashion content.

In June of this year, Miss USA and The CW announced a new deal to air the 2026 competitions. After that fell apart, however, next week’s events will once again stream on the Queen Beauty Network.