Univision, the biggest Spanish-language television channel in the US, announced today that it will not broadcast the upcoming Miss USA or Miss Universe pageants, nor will it do any other business with the Miss Universe Organization, which is co-owned by Donald Trump and NBCUniversal.
The decision was provoked by Trump’s recent comments about Mexican immigrants in the US. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” he said during his presidential campaign announcement on June 16. The remarks outraged many, especially Latinos and especially Mexican-Americans like Jorge Ramos, a Miami resident and popular news anchor for Univision.
Ramos publicly reprimanded Trump on June 22, and today Univision’s entertainment division, which is separate from the news division, released a statement saying that Trump’s recent remarks were “insulting” and that “at Univision, we see first-hand the work ethic, love for family, strong religious values and the important role Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans have had and will continue to have in building the future of our country.”
Univision only recently signed a deal to broadcast live Spanish versions of Miss USA on July 12 and Miss Universe in January 2016.
Trump responded on Twitter, suggesting that the Mexican government forced Univision to cut its ties with him.
Yesterday (June 24), musician J. Balvin said he would no longer be performing at the pageant in July because of Trump. This morning, the pair of actors scheduled to host Univision’s Spanish Miss USA simulcast released their own statements indicating they would have withdrawn from participating regardless of Univision’s decision.