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The blows keep coming for the troubled Miss USA pageant. 

This year was supposed to mark the long-standing beauty pageant’s return to broadcast TV after last year’s absence. But just days before the August 27 event in Miami, The CW has pulled out of airing the pageant. In June, the network had announced a multi-year deal to broadcast both Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. 

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“Two weeks ago, we identified a contractual issue with our production arrangements that could not be resolved within the necessary time frame,” read a statement shared on Miss USA’s Instagram Story. “Since then, our team has worked diligently to explore options that would allow us to continue with a live broadcast on The CW. 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,” the announcement continued. 

In a statement shared with Deadline, The CW said that “after careful consideration” it had decided to forego broadcasting of both the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants. “We wish the organization and all of this year’s contestants well in the competition,” the statement said. 

How to stream the 2026 Miss USA pageant

While the pageant – which determines who will represent the United States at the Miss Universe pageant – will once again be missing from TV, fans will still be able to watch the competition. As it did last year, the 2026 Miss USA pageant will stream live on The Queen Beauty Network. Subscriptions cost $7.99 per month or $72.99 per year. A one-month free trial is available. 

Last year was the first time that Miss USA did not air on TV since 1965. In recent years, the pageant has been rocked by multiple internal scandals as well as the sudden resignations of Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava, who both alleged they’d been bullied by people within the organization. This year, Miss North Carolina USA lost her crown just weeks before the pageant after problematic social media posts surfaced, with the organization saying that “does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia nor language that strips any person of their dignity.”

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