Former Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Tebow is responding to the recent turmoil within the Miss USA organization, after Noelia Voight and UmaSofia Srivastava announced their respective resignations as Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.
"I trust they sought wise counsel and tried to make the wisest decision for whatever matters most or where they are in their journey," Demi-Leigh told ET's Rachel Smith at the 2024 Academy of Country Music Award on Thursday.
"I just can't speak to their experiences," she explained. "I can only speak to mine, but I wish them both all the best of luck. I'm sure whatever they are working through and going through is not easy. But I have seen that there are so many women around the country and the world that [are] loving them and supporting them. And, you know, count me as one of those."
Demi-Leigh noted that she feels like "an absolute outsider at the moment" amid changes of leadership within the pageant organizations. She was previously crowned Miss South Africa and then Miss Universe in 2017 and calls her experience at the time "so uplifting."
Miss South Africa 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters is named the 2017 Miss Universe during the 2017 Miss Universe Pageant at The Axis at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on Nov. 26, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"I got to travel the world with two amazing women who loved me and supported me," she said. "They allowed me to bring my 'Unbreakable' campaign to the U.S. that I started back in South Africa, which was all about empowering women, giving women the opportunity to use their voice, to stand up for themselves and to rally other women to do the same. And I'm grateful to be able to continue that and continue that work."
Demi-Leigh went on to marry Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow in 2020, with the couple inviting ET exclusively into their Jacksonville, Florida, home the following year.
Now, Demi-Leigh is again sharing a message of empowerment with her new book, A Crown That Lasts: You Are Not Your Label, which is currently slated for an Aug. 13 release.
"I write a lot about my journey as Miss South Africa [and] Miss Universe in my book," she shares.
Demi-Leigh also reacts to Ryan Murphy's upcoming anthology, American Sports Story,in which Patrick Schwarzenegger will portray her husband.
"I heard some rumors about that," she says, noting that she "knows nothing" about the project. "I'm sure he's doing a great job," she adds of the actor.
Former Florida Gators quarterback and television analysts Tim Tebow poses for a photo with fiancé Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters during the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators on November 2, 2019 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fl.
When ET spoke with the lovebirds in 2021, they gushed over the early days of their romance.
"I could not breathe," Tim recalled of seeing Demi-Leigh for the first time. "And if we're being honest, on our actual real first date, I told her it was definitely my last first date."
"I felt the same way," added Demi-Leigh. "I didn't watch football or baseball, so I knew Tim as the Knight in Shining [Armor] guy. I got to know him as someone who stands so firmly in what he believes in and that is so bold, is fighting for people who cannot fight for themselves. Having had a sister with severe special needs, that was something that really impacted me and drew me to him instantly. It's one of the things that made me fall in love with him first."
The 59th annual Academy of Country Music Awards streamed live on May 16 on Prime Video. Check out all the nominees and the full winners list.
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