The vice chairman of the Miss USA pageant was apparently pressured to step down final 12 months after some very severe allegations of sexual harassment involving contestants.
Max Sebrechts left his job as VP of the Miss USA pageant again in January 2021, and based on a bombshell new report simply printed by DailyMail.com it wasn’t by alternative! Sebrechts, a former male mannequin, is married to Crystle Stewart (pictured above), who’s been the nationwide director of each Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. Yeah, THAT Crystle Stewart. Those within the pageant world know the way vital she is.
So you may see how highly effective Max’s place is. That makes any inappropriate habits with these contestants doubly problematic — as there’s each fear he may doubtlessly have used his affect to have an effect on the result of pageants, if he obtained what he needed. Add that to the opposite latest Miss USA scandal, which very a lot includes his spouse, and… Well, the entire thing is beginning to look corrupt as hell, fairly frankly.
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According to the outlet, it began after a contestant complained Sebrechts (pictured above, inset) invited himself into her lodge room and tried to kiss her. Gross. That criticism was simply the primary domino. It quickly got here out that Sebrechts allegedly despatched inappropriate messages to different pageant women, together with telling one she was his “favorite” and promising to assist her grow to be Miss USA.
At the time of his exit in January of final 12 months, the org claimed it was on account of a “structural change.” But a whistleblower has since reached out with claims of the alleged misconduct. The nameless criticism, first emailed to officers again in June, additionally copied a number of Miss Universe execs and leaders from the group’s guardian firm, Endeavour, as nicely.
In the nameless criticism, the whistleblower claimed Sebrechts had been “hitting on” 2021 finalists and utilizing his influential place in a “disgusting display and abuse of power.” At one level, he invited one woman to return to his lodge suite at an Oklahoma resort throughout a contest to see the “spectacular” views from his window.
That contestant spoke to the Daily Mail in regards to the scenario, recalling what occurred on the River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa. She says that after declining his invitation, he confirmed up unannounced and uninvited to her lodge room with a costume to drop off. After staying some time, he obtained as much as depart, after which twice tried to kiss her “on the corner of the mouth.”
The contestant recalled:
“I remember freezing in that moment. I knew that it was something that should not be happening. The only thing that was going on in my head was, ‘Are you stupid? You are not only the co-owner of this organization, you are married to Crystle Stewart.’ Crystle is an icon in the pageant world. She was my personal icon.”
OMG…
Also hooked up to that whistleblower’s nameless reveal was a graphic cellular phone video. In the clip, an unidentified male may very well be seen “masturbating and groaning with pleasure.” The Daily Mail experiences they’ve since realized that the video was despatched to a pageant contestant again in 2018. The outlet contacted the video’s alleged recipient, who confirmed she obtained the specific content material after first assembly Sebrechts at a Miss Texas USA competitors a number of years again.
According to the outlet, the girl first observed Max’s eyes through the 2016 competitors:
“I remember specifically thinking it was weird that all of us girls were backstage waiting to go on and Max and Crystle were back there with us. We’re basically half naked. I remember all through the rehearsals that whole week he kept staring at me.”
Her hopes of taking the Miss Texas title had been dashed after she did not make the highest 16. That evening although, she claims, Sebrechts messaged her on Facebook to console her:
“I went home devastated that I didn’t place and I got a message from him on Facebook messenger at like midnight. He was saying like, ‘Oh you were my favorite. You should have placed top five, what happened out there?’”
Over the subsequent decade, the pair chatted “periodically” on-line about pageant issues and different matters. Then, in January 2018, Sebrechts allegedly obtained in contact along with her to ask if she was courting anybody. He was the one to counsel a “no strings attached” affair, based on the outlet, writing:
“And of course this is all between us ok”
The Belgian nationwide allegedly wrote to her:
“The thought of imagining you in those tights without underwear has quite an effect on me.”
The girl, who’s now 28 years previous, recalled how she tried to first deflect the advances. She claims to have written again:
“Well that escalated quickly, lol. Honestly Max I’m flattered. You’re a very attractive and successful man. But what about your marriage?”
Soon the dialog allegedly turned sexual. And a few month later, the information org notes, Sebrechts is alleged to have despatched the girl an e mail with the hooked up cellular phone video of a person taking part in with himself on a mattress and “groaning with pleasure.” He may be heard within the video saying:
“Oh God I’m so hard … I want you to be here”
Ugh…
The former contestant made clear these exchanges had been consensual on the time, and that she additionally despatched him express content material again. However, years later, she regrets the interplay, citing the ability dynamic making it exploitative:
“Around that time I was very young and impressionable. I think he knew the power he had in that position, especially considering that a lot of girls look up to Crystle and he used that.”
Speaking of Crystle, it seems Sebrechts’ eight-year marriage is over. An insider near Stewart claimed she ended issues after first discovering out in regards to the sexual harassment allegations. Now, “Max is out of the picture” each in her private life and with the pageant world.
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Stewart has her personal points, too. She and her Miss Brand franchise are at the moment suspended from Miss Universe competitors exhibits after separate allegations she rigged this 12 months’s Miss USA ultimate. Stewart has strenuously denied these claims — however they’re now resurfacing amid Sebrechts’ alleged sexual harassment points.
A supply spoke to the outlet in regards to the alleged rigging scandal and asserted it was truly serving to to cover the “sexual predator operating” of their midst:
“This is not just about rigging, it’s not just about favoritism. Why the f**k are you not talking about the sexual allegations? They are hoping everyone looks the other way and misses the real scandal — that there was a sexual predator operating in a prominent position within Miss USA and they barely did anything about it.”
Wow.
Pageant contestants and people across the trade are understandably upset over how this scandal has performed out — and the way hush-hush Sebrechts’ removing was when it now seems severe issues had been allegedly occurring behind the scenes.
Stewart has not but commented on the newest bombshell reporting. However, she may very well be heard on a recently-leaked audio clip of a cellphone name she held with state pageant administrators again in January of this 12 months. In the clip, Stewart counsels the state administrators on methods to “armor” themselves towards allegations about Sebrechts’ conduct.
At one level, she says:
“Is this the easiest thing to do, no. I want to make sure that you can speak and say, no, a thorough investigation was done, it was definitely taken very seriously, almost went to jail. Will I know what’s on [the emails], yes, so if there’s something against me so be it.”
Stewart additionally addressed the allegation from the one contestant who claimed Sebrechts kissed her in that Tulsa lodge room:
“He went into the hotel room to speak with her. They talked. When he hugged her goodbye … she felt uncomfortable. Hearing it was uncomfortable for me. It doesn’t sit right and these young ladies shouldn’t feel uncomfortable, period.”
And she continued:
“What’s been going around that’s not true is that contestants had sex with him … Max voluntarily stepped down. Even if he didn’t volunteer it was going to be enforced by myself.”
Jeez.
Stewart additionally tried to stroll again allegations of Sebrechts exhibiting favoritism to sure women. She cautioned the state administrators about seeming goal, and addressed her considerations with the claims:
“One said to a contestant ‘looking good’ and the other one was saying that ‘you are my personal favorite and we’re doing everything that we can for [contestant’s name] to win Miss Universe so you can be Miss USA.’ Should they have been sent, absolutely not … It could be ‘hello how’s your mom.’ Direct messages should not be sent to contestants especially from the vice president of the organization, period.”
True sufficient, no messages ought to be despatched. But there’s a BIG distinction between the looks of impropriety and precise full-on dishonest — which is what a type of seemed like!
You can hear the recording of that decision, which was first printed earlier this month by YouTube vlogger Natly Denise, within the video (under):
Damn!
Now, a “close pal” of Stewart confirmed to Daily Mail that Sebrechts “no longer has anything to do with her pageant empire.”
The insider additionally claimed the ex-couple solely speaks to one another in an effort to co-parent their two younger kids. Clearly, Stewart is attempting to shortly distance herself from her ex.
Yeesh. What a narrative!
What do U make of it, Perezcious readers?
[Image via Crystle Stewart/Instagram/Instagram]
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