(Variety) Donald Trump has found a TV home for his Miss USA beauty pageant with cable network Reelz, after both NBC and Univision Communications bailed on plans to air the program following the mogul’s remarks about Latino immigrants.
The pact is a small victory for Trump, who in the past week has lost his deals with NBC, Univision and Macy’s. The companies cut their ties to the real-estate developer, GOP presidential hopeful and erstwhile TV personality after he called Mexican and other Hispanic immigrants "killers and rapists" who are "bringing crime" into the U.S. in a speech.
"The decision on the part of Reelz to acquire the rights to the Miss USA Pageant was based on our belief that this special event, and the women who compete in it, are an integral part of American tradition," Reelz CEO Stan E. Hubbard said in a statement. "As one of only a few independent networks, we decided to exercise our own voice and committed ourselves to bringing this pageant to American viewers everywhere."