Internal strife put aside as Miss America hopefuls arrive
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The official arrival of the 51 hopefuls vying for the title of Miss America went off Thursday without direct mention of the recent public tensions between the reigning titleholder and the pageant’s leadership.
Chairwoman Gretchen Carlson has feuded on Twitter with reigning Miss America Cara Mund after Mund said she’d been “silenced” by pageant officials seeking to control what she says publicly. Carlson and CEO Regina Hopper also have come under fire for their decision to discontinue the swimsuit competition. Many state pageant officials have called for Carlson and Hopper to resign.
Mund and Carlson sat several seats away from each other during Thursday’s introduction ceremony on the boardwalk but didn’t appear to have any interaction. During her comments, Mund said she was confident whoever wins this year’s competition “will be 100 per cent ready and supported throughout her entire year.”
Afterward, she mostly deflected questions about her Aug. 17 letter criticizing the pageant’s leadership, saying, “It’s all about the women competing and we’re here to celebrate their accomplishments.”