A Miss Universe contestant has posted a cryptic statement announcing she is cutting ties with the pageant—just days after finishing in the top five. Olivia Yacé, who represented Côte d’Ivoire and placed as fourth runner-up, said she is resigning from her newly assigned role as Miss Universe Africa and Oceania, claiming the role was at odds with her values. In her announcement, Yacé said she will no longer pursue “any future affiliation with the Miss Universe Committee.” She reflected on her experience at the pageant on Friday in Bangkok, Thailand, saying she realized she was “capable of accomplishing great things despite adversity.” But, she added, continuing in the role would require her to compromise her core values of “respect, dignity, excellence, and equal opportunity.” Yacé ended her message with a rallying call to “Black, African, Caribbean, American, and Afro-descendant communities” to keep pushing into spaces “where you are not expected,” urging them to “never let anyone define who we are or limit our potential.” Yacé’s resignation came one day after Brigitta Schaback announced she would be giving up her title of Miss Universe Estonia, citing “values and work ethics” that did not align with Miss Universe Estonia National Director Natalie Korneitsik. Miss Universe Estonia told the Daily Beast it did not appreciate Schaback “dragging Estonia into a controversy.” “Mrs Brigitta Schaback was repeatedly instructed to remain neutral, delete negative posts about the organization, and to provide diplomatic comments,” the group said. “However, these instructions were ignored, and the terms of the contract were violated. There is a team that worked very hard to make her participation possible, and this team must now deal with the consequences of the breached contract.” Korneitsik did not respond immediately to the Beast’s request for comment. The resignations come after a hectic competition that saw a judge quit, a contestant fall off stage and a mass walkout of contestants after Miss Mexico—who went on to win the pageant—was called “dumb” by an organizer.
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