Taylor Hale opens up about participating in Miss USA ‘Crown of Deceit’ docuseries

The three-part program “Crown of Deceit: Inside the Miss Universe Scandal” premieres on November 12.

Taylor Hale has decided to speak out about her experiences while competing for Miss USA in a new series documenting the scandal behind the stage.

While speaking with the The Detroit News, the former Miss Michigan USA explained why she came forward for “Crown of Deceit: Inside the Miss Universe Scandal,” a three-part docuseries. As noted by the outlet, after Hale competed in Miss USA in 2021, she alleges she was the subject of unwanted sexual advances from Max Sebrechts, who was the vice president of Miss USA. Sebrechts has denied the allegations.

“It took me a little bit to decide if I wanted to participate,” explained Hale, who was also the first Black woman to win ‘Big Brother’ in 2022. “I’ve talked about what happened before, and there’s a real fear on my end of letting this define me.”

She continued, “I think it would be a real disservice to let fear, and maybe a little bit of shame, stop me from speaking truth to power. And something I really realized this time around is that I shouldn’t be carrying any shame. Max should be carrying the shame.”

According to PEOPLE, “Crown of Deceit” will focus on multiple controversies that have surrounded the Miss Universe organization in recent years, “Through exclusive interviews with former contestants, pageant insiders, and whistleblowers, along with behind-the-scenes access, the series examines claims of intimidation, secret NDAs and leadership failures.”

Noelia Voigt (Miss USA 2023) and Brittany Mason (Miss Indiana USA 2008/Miss USA contestant) will also tell their stories in the series alongside Hale.

“Crown of Deceit” is set to premiere at 8 p.m. Thursday on TLC and HBO Max. Watch a preview below.