Amy Emmerich, the CEO of the Miss Universe Organization, announced on her social media on February 8 that she will be stepping down from her position effective March 1st, 2024. She also announced that she will continue to be an advisor for the organization in the next few months. However, it is uncertain at this moment who will be the new CEO. Emmerich is the last major executive to leave MUO after Esther Swann, the former talent manager who left in March 2023 followed by Paula Shugart, the former president who resigned in November 2023.
As you know, Emmerich started her job with MUO in January 2022, which led to IMG selling MUO to JKN Global in October 2022. Under Emmerich’s leadership, the traditional entry requirements to compete in Miss Universe/Miss USA have been replaced by “progressive” ones that now allow women from all walks of life (beyond age limit of 28, married, mothers, grandmothers, divorced, pregnant, transwomen). Traditionalists do not like these updated requirements because they have “tarnished” the Miss Universe brand and have taken away the space usually reserved for single and childless young women between 18-28. Progressives counter-argue that the updated changes open doors for women whose dream of being a beauty queen may have been crushed by too many restrictions.
With Emmerich’s departure, this raises the question whether the new co-owner, Raul Rocha Cantú, who owns 50% of the company, will buy out the other co-owner, Anne Jakrajutatip, and fully own the company and maybe - and this is a big maybe - repeal Emmerich’s progressive policies and return to the traditional requirements.
