Miss USA Pageant host and Chilean actor Cristian de la Fuente has pulled out of the broadcast. The reason? Donald Trump and his anti-immigrant statements during the announcement of his bid for the GOP presidential nomination.
De la Fuente, who stars in Lifetime’s hit series, Devious Maids , slammed Trump for calling Mexicans drug dealers and rapists in a 30 second video that was posted on his Facebook page .
“Mr. Trump, as a Latino, I cannot work in an event associated with your name,” De La Fuente said. “It’s a shame that such an important institution as Miss USA is in the hands of a clown.”
Miss USA is run by the Miss Universe Organization, a joint venture between Trump and NBCUniversal.
De La Fuente’s cancellation isn’t the only blow the Miss USA 2015 pageant is taking because of Donald Trump.
The pageant also lost its co-host, Rosyln Sanchez , who stars in Devious Maids alongside Cristian, the Latin Times reports.
Sanchez voiced her disgust for Trump’s statements in Spanish in an Instagram post, where she announced she’d be cancelling the Miss USA gig.
“As a LATINA and proud of my roots, culture and everything we have [contributed] to this nation, I have decided to cancel my participation as co-host of Miss USA,” Sánchez wrote on Instagram. “I don’t tolerate the[ disrespectful] and hurtful words that came out of Mr. Trump’s mouth.”
And she didn’t stop there. Sanchez went on to exalt Mexican immigrants and all that they have done for the United States.
“Mexicans, like all our Latino brothers have contributed positively to this great nation. We are the force that keeps this country afloat.” she continued. “I was very excited and grateful with the opportunity to serve as a co-host of this great event in which many Latinas have shined, but I am more excited for the loyalty to my people. Enough with racism and ‘influential’ people that belittle.”
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The anti-Trump backlash on the Miss USA Pageant is growing. Unvision, the largest Latin American broadcasting company in the US, recently announced that it will not air the pageant because of Trump’s anti-Mexican stance.
“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 said in a statement.
Latin singing sensation J. Balvin also cancelled his performance at Miss USA 2015, citing Trump’s comments as the reason.
“This isn’t about being punitive, but about showing leadership through social responsibility,” Balvin said in an interview with Billboard . “His comments weren’t just about Mexicans, but about all Latins in general.”
Spokespersons for the Miss USA Pageant have not commented on the cancellations link to Donald Trump’s anti-Mexican comments.