*By Max Godnick*
The newly-crowned Miss USA said she stands with her "sisters" who had the courage to appear on camera and say "me too."
The national reckoning with toxic male behavior was part of this year's Miss USA competition, which included a pre-recorded montage of some contestants sharing their experiences with sexual assault.
"You have to be real and acknowledge what's going on in our world," said Sarah Rose Summers, the newly crowned Miss USA, in an interview with Cheddar on Thursday. "We're not in our own little bubble as Miss USA contestants."
The 23-year-old said she has never experienced any sexual misconduct but was supportive of her fellow contestants who did appear in the video.
Summers received two degrees from Texas Christian University and recently finished her clinical rotations to become a certified child life specialist. She said she and her fellow contestants handle uncomfortable interactions on social media and in person differently since the #MeToo movement took off.
"There's less of 'oh he's just creepy' and more of 'that's not acceptable," said Summers.
President Trump owned The Miss Universe Organization, operator of the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe pageants, from 1996 to 2015. Five former contestants have said they remember Trump visiting their dressing rooms during the 1997 Miss Teen USA competition, according to [a report by BuzzFeed News] (https://www.buzzfeed.com/kendalltaggart/teen-beauty-queens-say-trump-walked-in-on-them-changing?utm_term=.kjX2mPLpG#.byrm5eOLZ).
Summers said she never felt like her privacy was violated while taking part in the pageant.
"I felt very safe and we all have security that are with us all of the time so we cannot be approached by anyone," she said.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/miss-usa-on-pageants-in-the-metoo-era).
The Chinese government brought the sitcom "Friends" back to its streaming services. However, it had instances of LGBTQ+ references left out, after the series had been banned on Chinese streaming platforms for years.
Season 13 "Shark Tank" contestant Tania Speaks secured a $400,000 deal for her Speaks Organic Skincare brand with "Shark" Mark Cuban while also being named one of the best pitches in the history of the show — all at 19 years old. Now 20, Speaks joined Cheddar News to talk about the skincare line, the clean beauty industry, and the moment that host Cuban was moved by her pitch. "I couldn't believe that he got emotional. I'm surprised I held back my tears that long," the young entrepreneur revealed. "It's just amazing for someone else to be inspired by your story, especially Mark Cuban himself."
The media giant formerly known as ViacomCBS has officially rebranded itself as Paramount Global with a focus on its streaming service, Paramount Plus. Naveen Chopra, chief financial officer at Paramount, joined Cheddar to discuss the company’s name change and streaming wars. "There are components of content licensing that we continue to do, either historical arrangements or opportunities to license content that don't really impinge on what we're trying to do with our owned and operated services and that continues to be an important ingredient in our broader financial model," he said. "But our number one priority is putting our best assets on Paramount Plus." Chopra also discussed theatrical release windows before feature films hit its service and the platform's subscription goals.
In efforts to help support black-owned brands. Ulta Beauty says it will make a commitment to not only give these brand shelf space but also help them navigate the ins and outs of growing a business. Last week, the beauty retailer announced in order to reach those goals, the company will spend $50 million on diversity and inclusion programs, including an accelerated program to mentor entrepreneurs of color. CEO of Ulta Beauty, Dave Kimbell, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
For black history month, Cheddar is highlighting black business leaders who are driving the need for representation forward. On February 10, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted an event called 'Developing the Black-Owned Business Ecosystem.' The virtual event was organized under the lobbying group's two initiatives -- the Equality of Opportunity Initiative, and the Coalition to Back Black Businesses. The event highlighted the developments needed to develop more black-owned businesses in the U.S. Dr. Anthony Wilbon, Dean of the School of Business at Howard University, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss his experience as a speaker at the event.
