Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Will Air on REELZ

After being booted from NBC and Univision, Donald Trump's Miss USA beauty pageant has found a new home.

The REELZ channel announced that it had acquired the rights to air the event live on Sunday, July 12 at 8 p.m. ET.

The fate of the pageant broadcast has hung in the balance a few days after Trump made some controversial remarks about immigration during his announcement that he's running for president.

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're sending people that have lots of problems," he said. "They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists."

WATCH: EXCLUSIVE! Donald Trump Addresses Anti-Immigration Comments

Since then, NBC dropped the Celebrity Apprentice star from its network and a number of people and supporters have bowed out of participating in the Miss USA event.

So what made REELZ pick up the seemingly polarizing pageant?

NEWS: Cheryl Burke Pulls Out as Miss USA Co-Host in Wake of Donald Trump's Anti-Immigration Comments

"The decision on the part of REELZ to acquire the rights to the Miss USA Pageant was based on our belief that this special event, and the women who compete in it, are an integral part of
American tradition," Stan E. Hubbard, CEO of REELZ, said in a statement. "As one of only a few independent networks, we decided to exercise our own voice and committed ourselves to bringing this
pageant to American viewers everywhere."

NEWS: George Takei Has The Perfect Response To Donald Trump's Position on Same-Sex Marriage

Attempting to address the controversy surrounding the show, Hubbard added, "For us, this decision is about the dreams of the contestants who come from all walks of life across the United States, the city of Baton Rouge that has proudly come together to host this pageant and the viewers who will be watching and celebrating its 54th year on television."

Will you be watching?

ET recently spoke with Trump exclusively about his comments regarding immigration, and he defended claims that he was racist. Here's what he had to say:

Donald Trump Addresses Whether He Is Racist

This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors.

If you are using ad-blocking software, please disable it and reload the page.

Up Next

Related Gallery

Must-See Star Sightings