Current:Home > InvestMiss Kansas called out her abuser in public. Her campaign against domestic violence is going viral -Golden Horizon Investments
Miss Kansas called out her abuser in public. Her campaign against domestic violence is going viral
View
Date:2025-04-22 16:32:20
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A newly posted video of Miss Kansas calling out her domestic violence abuser from the stage the night she was crowned is whipping up a maelstrom of support on social media.
Alexis Smith, who works overnight shifts as a cardiothoracic intensive care nurse in Wichita, was crowned Miss Kansas on June 8, but posted the video of her on-stage comments just this past week on the platform now known as X. Her comments are resonating with thousands in part because she called out her own abuser from the stage while she said the perpetrator was sitting in the audience.
The video Smith posted July 16 has been viewed more than 60,000 times and generated a rash of news stories.
“My vision as the next Miss Kansas is to eliminate unhealthy and abusive relationships,” Smith said during the interview portion of the pageant last month. “Matter of fact, some of you in this audience saw me very emotional because my abuser is here today. But that’s not going to stop me from being on this Miss Kansas stage and from representing as the next Miss Kansas.”
Smith just recently started her reign and began raising concerns about the issue in interviews and social media posts. Her bold pageant statement against domestic abuse and her courage to speak out is being praised online by dozens of people as her video gets shared again and again.
The beauty queen cares deeply about domestic violence issues because not only was she a victim, but so were many of the other women in her family, she has said.
“My family, every single woman in my family, was impacted by domestic violence,” she said in an interview with Wichita television station KSN. “At the age of 14, I got in my first relationship, but it was also an abusive relationship that I was in until about 2018, 2019. It’s something that I’m still experiencing and dealing with today.”
Smith said she even moved to Texas for a couple years after she escaped the relationship. She returned to Wichita to study nursing at Newman University.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Judge says he’ll look at Donald Trump’s comments, reconsider $10,000 fine for gag order violation
- Rep. Bowman of New York faces misdemeanor charge in fire alarm pulled in House office building
- Hurricane Otis causes damage, triggers landslides after making landfall in Mexico as Category 5 storm
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- Why Leslie Fhima Briefly Considered Leaving The Golden Bachelor
- At least 16 dead after gunman opens fire at bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine: Live updates
- Rachel Zegler Brings Haunting Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Songs to Life in Teaser
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- French league suspends Atal for 7 games for sharing an antisemitic message on social media
Ranking
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Microsoft up, Alphabet down. S&P 500, Nasdaq drop as tech companies report mixed earnings
- Trump isn’t accustomed to restrictions. That’s beginning to test the legal system
- Many Israelis are furious at their government’s chaotic recovery efforts after Hamas attack
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Averted disaster on Horizon Air flight renews scrutiny on mental health of those in the cockpit
- New US House speaker tried to help overturn the 2020 election, raising concerns about the next one
- Hurricane Otis causes damage, triggers landslides after making landfall in Mexico as Category 5 storm
Recommendation
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
Book excerpt: North Woods by Daniel Mason
Palestinian activist is expelled by Israeli forces from his home in a volatile West Bank city
Europe’s central bank is set to halt rate hikes as the Mideast war casts a shadow over the economy
New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
Another University of Utah gymnast details abusive environment and names head coach
DWTS’ Sharna Burgess Speaks Out on “Hurt” of Being Excluded From Len Goodman Tribute
White House wants more than $23 billion from Congress to respond to natural disasters