MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts dropped out of hosting Donald Trump’s Miss USA pageant.(Washington Blade file photo by Lee Whitman)
NEW YORK — A gay MSNBC anchor who was to have co-hosted the Miss USA pageant on June 30 announced he has pulled out of the event.
A spokesperson for NBC on Tuesday confirmed to Variety that Thomas Roberts will not host the pageant that is scheduled to take place in Baton Rouge, La., on July 12.
Roberts’ decision to withdraw from the pageant came a day after NBC Universal, which is MSNBC’s parent company, announced that it had cut ties with Donald Trump, who owns the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, over the controversial comments he made about Mexican immigrants during his presidential campaign announcement.
Both Univision and Televisa announced they would not broadcast the Miss Universe pageant as a result of Trump’s comments. Cheryl Burke, a dancer and choreographer with “Dancing with the Stars” who was to have co-hosted the Miss USA pageant with Roberts, also announced she would no longer participate in the event.
“I cannot in good conscience move forward with participating in this year’s Miss USA Pageant as its co-host,” said Burke in a statement she posted to her Facebook page.
Roberts’ decision to co-host the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow amid concerns over Russia’s LGBT rights record sparked controversy.
Good for Thomas Roberts– and good for all of us.
Anytime LGBT Americans stand with Mexicans and other Latinos and Latinas against the scourges of bigotry, hate and discrimination, we’re all ennobled, and our shared human and civil rights causes are advanced.
Good. But how long before Trump starts bashing gays in response? Trump is a chump!
He’ll have to take number… or maybe he’ll just trade a place in the ‘bash ’em’ line from one of the many recent converts to equality. They’ve probably noticed the sky hasn’t fallen since June 26th.
And……he won’t be missed. Unfortunately, denying one’s presence in an unfavorable climate does not do the community any good, as the only impressions left upon the minds of those we wish to convert are those from the coverage of the Pride parade. Those were just lovely!