&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Former Miss Universe Canada Ashley Callingbull halts pageant over Indigenous costume controversy")
What was meant to be a celebration of beauty and national pride took an unexpected turn at the 2026 Miss Universe Canada pageant when former titleholder Ashley Callingbull stopped the competition to address concerns over cultural appropriation. Callingbull used the live moment to speak about how costumes she felt misrepresented Indigenous culture.
What happened during the beauty pageant?
The controversy centred on the national costume competition held on August 4. Callingbull said she had not been physically present for the segment but had watched videos of the contestants' appearances. Callingbull noted that “during the national competition and the costume competition, there was cultural appropriation that was done towards Indigenous peoples.
Ashley Callingbull, the winner of Miss Universe Canada 2024, reportedly took to the opportunity of a technical glitch during the event on August 8 at the Chrysler Theatre in Windsor, Ontario to address the certain concern. “If we can turn the music down just a little bit?” she asked. “So with Miss Universe Canada, me being the first Indigenous, First Nations Miss Universe Canada, that was such a huge honor. One of the biggest dreams of my life was coming here and fulfilling that. But sometimes there are mistakes that are made.”
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Callingbull said, "My first reaction was to call Sonny and the Miss Universe Canada team and immediately they responded. “Immediately they listened, they heard me, they heard exactly what we need to do to change that, because, I think we’re living in a time, it’s 2026, we should know better. But most importantly, a part of reconciliation is that we educate and learn and understand and move on from these things in a good way."
Her intervention also turned what could have been a backstage controversy into a broader conversation about the difference between celebrating a culture and using its symbols without sufficient understanding or context. The Miss Universe Canada organisation also responded, expressing regret over the controversy and saying the incident highlighted the need for better guidance around cultural representation.
All about Ashley Callingbull
Ashley Callingbull is a Canadian First Nations activist model, actress and TV host from the Enoch Cree Nation. She made history as the first Indigenous woman to win Miss Universe Canada 2024, followed by becoming Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model and also won Mrs Universe 2015.
She also serves as an international motivational speaker, advocating for Indigenous rights and representation, including speaking at Harvard University and TEDx. Ashley has also appeared in TV series including Blackstone, Tribal and The Great Salish Heist.
