Gretchen Carlson Responds To 2018 Miss America’s Accusations

The 2018 winner of the Miss America pageant, Cara Mund, is speaking out and slamming Gretchen Carlson, describing her as a bully/attention hog who tried to erase her role in the organization.

“Let me be blunt: I strongly believe that my voice is not heard nor wanted by our current leadership; nor do they have any interest in knowing who I am and how my experiences relate to positioning the organization for the future,” Mund wrote. “Our chair and CEO have systematically silenced me, reduced me, marginalized me, and essentially erased me in my role as Miss America in subtle and not-so-subtle ways on a daily basis. After a while, the patterns have clearly emerged, and the sheer accumulation of the disrespect, passive-aggressive behavior, belittlement, and outright exclusion has taken a serious toll.”

I have to admit. Because we’re talking about the beauty pageant industry which is NOTORIOUSLY petty, I have to take what she says with a grain of salt. A lot of it sounds dumb, but this was a decent point…I guess.

“My voice is not heard nor wanted by our current leadership, nor do they have any interest in knowing who I am and how my experiences relate to positioning the organization for the future,” she wrote. “The rhetoric about empowering women, and openness and transparency, is great; however, the reality is quite different.”

Carlson has responded to Mund’s claims.

“Cara, let me be clear: We, as an organization, are very proud of you and all you have accomplished. You are smart, caring and ambitious,” Carlson wrote. “As a Brown graduate, you aspire to go to law school and one day run for Governor in your home state of North Dakota. You embody the mission of Miss America.”

“I also want to be clear that I have never bullied or silenced you,” she continued. “In fact, I have acknowledged to you and your parents many times that the organization understands the frustrations of serving during such a change-filled and stressful year. It surely was not what you had expected. We’ve acknowledged your grievances, and taken many steps to try to make your experience a good one. You are at the epicenter of a very historic moment for women. Over the past two years, our country has undergone a seismic shift in how professional women are depicted and treated.”

“Actions have consequences,” she added. “Friday, as an organization, we learned that $75,000 in scholarships which would have been the first scholarship increase in years, is no longer on the table as a direct result of the explosive allegations in your letter. The impact won’t stop there — we are already seeing a negative ripple effect across the entire organization, and I am so concerned that it will dilute the experience for the next woman selected to wear the crown.”

Here’s Carlson’s full statement:

Please see my statement in full below pic.twitter.com/rvmee4es7g

— Gretchen Carlson (@GretchenCarlson) August 20, 2018

Thoughts? I don’t have many on this. Pageant drama bores me.

h/t Hollywood Reporter