Destiny Wagner Resigns as National Director of Miss Universe Belize
Destiny Wagner has resigned from her position as National Director of Miss Universe Belize.
In a statement posted to Facebook, Wagner said she accepted the role with genuine intentions and believes she contributed meaningfully to pageantry in Belize during her tenure. “I accepted this role with genuine intentions. I wanted to bring a stronger sense of sisterhood, support, and community into pageantry in Belize, and I am proud to say that I believe I was able to contribute to that in meaningful ways.”
Wagner said she had already addressed what occurred at the pageant but that the communication and leadership that followed led her to question whether she and the organisation shared the same values.
She also credited Belize’s team for their work under difficult conditions. “Despite the challenges and the incredibly short timeline we were given, our team showed up, worked tirelessly, solved problems, and got things done. I am genuinely thankful for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to making this experience happen.”
Wagner said her decision to step down came down to a disagreement over how responsibility was assigned when things went wrong. “I believe leadership means standing together when things go wrong, not placing responsibility on one team while overlooking the collective circumstances that contributed to the outcome. That is not the kind of leadership I want to be associated with.”
Earlier this week, Miss Universe Belize officials publicly responded to the pageant controversy, confirming Caleigh-Rose West’s win was legitimate after a full review of judges’ scores. They admitted errors in score tabulation, production, and the broadcast, including the mistaken use of Tikal (Guatemala) images during the show, which they called a serious production mistake made by the local production team, who apologised.
In her post, Wagner said, “There were many things that happened behind the scenes that the public is not aware of. For now, I will simply say that there are conversations and circumstances that I may acknowledge at the appropriate time.”
“And to Caleigh-Rose: I will continue to wish you nothing but the best. You deserve to enjoy your reign, represent Belize proudly, and have your country behind you. I encourage everyone to continue supporting our queen as she prepares for Puerto Rico.”