Miss USA 2024 Winner Alma Cooper Elects to Miss 2025 Pageant
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Miss USA 2024 winner Alma Cooper has announced her decision not to attend the 2025 pageant to crown her successor, breaking from tradition. The finals of the pageant took place on October 24 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, under the leadership of the new CEO of the organization, Thom Brodeur.
In a surprising move, Alma Cooper, a Stanford student aged 23, shared on Instagram just hours before the Miss USA final round that she would not be present at the event in Reno to pass on her crown. Cooper expressed that after careful consideration, she made the difficult choice to forgo attending the pageant in order to uphold her values and commitments. She stated, “After much consideration, I’ve made the extremely difficult decision not to attend this year’s Miss USA pageant and crowning ceremony to instead stand in honor of my values, work, and resolve.”
Cooper, who became the first Afro-Latina woman to win Miss USA, reflected on her joy and pride in her achievements over the past year. Juggling duties as both Miss USA and a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, she acknowledged the challenges of balancing her responsibilities but affirmed her dedication to representing the title with grace and intelligence.
The Miss USA CEO and President Thom Brodeur addressed Cooper’s absence from the 2025 pageant preliminaries, expressing the organization’s desire for her to participate in the event in whatever capacity she felt comfortable. While Cooper’s attendance remained unconfirmed, Brodeur extended his respect and admiration for her reign, affirming her as the queen of Miss USA 2024.
Under Brodeur’s new leadership, the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA competitions marked a fresh start following recent upheavals in the pageant world. Past winners Noelia Voigt and UmaSofia Srivastav made headlines by relinquishing their titles amid controversies within the organization. Brodeur aims to bring about positive changes to address the concerns raised by the former titleholders.
Brodeur’s appointment as CEO of the Miss Universe organization, overseeing Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, followed a period of transition and speculation regarding the pageants’ leadership. His commitment to empowering winners and enabling them to speak freely about their experiences signals a shift towards greater transparency and support within the pageantry community.
In response to the evolving landscape of beauty pageants, Brodeur’s initiatives seek to create a more inclusive and empowering environment for participants. By prioritizing the well-being and autonomy of contestants, the Miss USA pageant under his leadership aims to uphold its values of integrity and respect for all individuals involved.
Against the backdrop of past controversies and resignations, the Miss USA 2025 pageant represents a new chapter in the organization’s history. Alma Cooper’s decision to forego attending the event underscores the importance of personal values and integrity in the world of pageantry, setting a precedent for future titleholders to prioritize self-respect above tradition.