Destiny Wagner Resigns as Miss Universe Belize National Director

Destiny Wagner has resigned as National Director of Miss Universe Belize, just days after the national pageant in San Pedro faced public criticism. Wagner says her decision comes after reflecting on the communication and leadership that followed the August 15 competition, and whether her values still align with those of the organization. She specifically cites concerns about accountability, teamwork, communication and responsibility. The resignation comes five days after Caleigh-Rose West was crowned Miss Universe Belize 2026 from a field of eight delegates. The pageant drew criticism following the competition, including concerns about its promotion and the use of an image of Guatemala’s Tikal during a cultural presentation showcasing Belizean heritage. Love News reported on that criticism following the pageant, as questions were raised publicly about aspects of the competition. Wagner was serving as National Director under the new Miss Universe Belize franchise structure.

Earlier this year, Love News reported that the former Miss Universe Belize Foundation no longer held the Belize franchise after it was awarded to an organization based in El Salvador. In announcing her resignation, Wagner says she accepted the National Director position with the intention of bringing greater support, sisterhood and community to pageantry in Belize. She says she is proud of what she was able to contribute, but says the events surrounding the pageant and, more importantly, the communication and leadership that followed caused her to reflect deeply on her role. Wagner says she believes leadership means standing together when things go wrong, rather than placing responsibility on one team while overlooking the circumstances that may have contributed to the outcome. She does not detail what those circumstances were. Instead, Wagner says there were things that happened behind the scenes that the public is not aware of, and that she may address some of those matters at an appropriate time. Despite her resignation, Wagner says her support for the delegates has not changed. She thanked the Belizean team involved in the pageant, saying that despite the challenges and short timeline, the team worked tirelessly and remained committed to the delegates and to making the competition happen.

Wagner also extended her support to newly crowned Miss Universe Belize Caleigh-Rose West. She says West deserves to enjoy her reign and represent Belize proudly and is encouraging Belizeans to continue supporting her as she prepares for the international Miss Universe competition in Puerto Rico. Wagner says she leaves the organization knowing that she entered with good intentions, gave everything she could and remained true to what she believed was best for the women she was entrusted to support. And while she is ending her involvement with the Miss Universe Belize organization, Wagner says she is not walking away from pageantry. She says sometimes leaving is not giving up, but recognizing when something is no longer aligned with who you are and what you stand for.