Cassie Donegan, a 28-year-old New York native, experienced what it felt like to have your dreams come true on Sunday, September 7, when she was officially crowned Miss America 2026. Donegan, a talented singer, beat out 52 other candidates from all over the nation. She also won $53,000 in tuition funds as part of her prize.
However, what should have been one of the happiest days of the young woman’s life was nearly diminished by online hate. While many social media users were quick to share their congratulations on the win, others took this as an opportunity to criticize her. A lot of this criticism was focused on Donegan’s appearance, particularly her pageant makeup during the final round of the competition.
Now, in a vulnerable interview with People, Donegan has opened up about how she is handling the criticism and how it has made her feel.
"Often you do have to just pick and choose what you allow yourself to digest," she said. "I think that's something that's been a really useful tool, really leaning into those who are lifting me up, loving me, and holding me high, and choosing to focus on the positivity that's happening in the moment."
However, despite her positivity, it doesn’t mean that these comments don’t still sting.
"I'm just a normal person. No, I don't want to hear people ever say anything negative, especially about my appearance," Donegan went on. "But I also respect that the internet is a public space and that people have the right to their opinion to be able to share that, and no one's going to be everyone's favorite all of the time."
Donegan also acknowledged that just because some people may choose to use social media to say negative things about her doesn’t mean that she has to choose to internalize those comments.