Before Alexis Smith was crowned Miss Kansas in June, she informed audience members what she envisioned her message would be if she were named the 2024 titleholder.
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Miss Kansas Confronts Alleged Abuser
A video clip of what Smith said is now going viral after it was shared on the Miss Kansas Organization’s social media pages on July 12 and has picked up over 200,000 views on Instagram. “My vision as the next Miss Kansas is to eliminate unhealthy and abusive relationships,” Smith said, before adding, “Matter of fact, some of you out in this audience saw me very emotional because my abuser is here today, but that’s not going to stop me from being on this Miss Kansas stage and from representing as the next Miss Kansas because I and my community deserve healthy relationships. We deserve a domestic, free life. Thank you.”
Many users on X also praised her powerful statement, with one user writing, “The courage it took! You are and will be an inspiration to many people! “Ultimately, my role is to have this platform advocating against domestic violence. You know, I needed to let him know right then and there that ‘yes, you’re on my mind right now,'” she said. “‘But you’re not going to take this opportunity away from me.'”
The Wichita native, who competed as Miss Butler County at the ceremony held at Pratt Community College, explained “He wanted full control over how I utilize my time, who I was spending my time with,” she recalled. “The biggest impact and regret that I have is the way that I treated others in response to how he ultimately wanted me to treat others or wanted to keep me away from others.”
Although Smith did not publicly share what kind of abuse she experienced, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that intimate partner violence in particular is a significant public health issue. Approximately 41% of women and 26% of men have reported sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, and more than 61 million women and 53 million men have reported psychological aggression by an intimate partner, according to research from the CDC. Alexis Smith, recently crowned Miss Kansas, boldly addressed her alleged abuser during her pageant speech, marking a pivotal moment of empowerment and advocacy.
Her actions resonate deeply with the Department of Justice’s definition of domestic violence, encompassing various forms of abuse within intimate partner relationships. Smith’s decision to share her story not only facilitated personal healing but also inspired others to recognize their own strength and speak out against abuse. Through her initiative “Respect Reclaimed: Advocating for Healthy Relationships,” she aims to empower survivors and foster a community of support. Smith’s journey from ICU nurse to pageant winner reflects her determination to transform adversity into a positive force for change, emphasizing the importance of resilience and advocacy in ending unhealthy relationships.
Alexis Smith, who was crowned Miss Kansas 2024 in June, opened up about her experience with domestic violence in her final interview question during the pageant. More than one month after Smith won the coveted title on June 8, she shared a clip on social media from the pageant that highlighted her response to a question about her vision as the next ambassador for the Miss Kansas organization. In her response, she said that her abuser was among the audience members. “My vision as the next Miss Kansas is to eliminate unhealthy and abusive relationships,” she began. “Matter of fact, some of you out in this audience saw me very emotional because my abuser is here today.”
Smith continued, sharing a powerful and encouraging response to the question.
“But that’s not going to stop me from being on this Miss Kansas stage and from representing as the next Miss Kansas because I, and my community, deserve healthy relationships. We deserve a domestic (violence) free life,” she added. In the caption, Smith reflected on the moment, writing that her Miss Kansas experience “took an unexpected turn when someone I have been healing from tried to disrupt my peace. ”Instead of falling into silence, I chose to live out my vision for a better world,” she added. “I took back my power—not just for myself, but for my dreams and everyone watching and listening.” Smith emphasized her desire to use her “story, tools, and resources to end unhealthy relationships in all forms” and use her “voice and advocacy” to empower others.
Smith received an outpouring of support in the comment section of her Instagram post, with many applauding her for speaking out and also sharing their own experiences with domestic violence. “WHAT A WOMAN. This is absolutely incredible,” one comment read. “From one survivor to another, I am SO SO proud of you for reclaiming this moment for yourself. You will do amazing things.” Another commenter, who noted they did not know Smith personally, wrote that her “strength and resiliency” inspired them, adding, “You are truly a queen from the inside out and I thank you for being a beautiful role model to so many.” Smith also appeared to inspire other women to take a stance, including a commenter who described themselves as a victim of domestic violence and wrote, “I plan on helping women like us as well.”
TODAY.com has reached out to Smith, as well as the Miss Kansas and Miss America organizations for comment, but had not heard back at the time the story was published. In a July 18 interview with KSNW, an NBC affiliate in Wichita, Kansas, Smith reiterated that as Miss Kansas she hopes to continue “advocating for healthy relationships” following her “personal experience of falling into my relationship of domestic violence.”
Smith also shared that “every single woman” in her family was “impacted by domestic violence.”
During the KSNW interview, she also referenced her social media post, in which she shared the now-viral moment from the pageant when she said her abuser was present at the ceremony. “Just having those opportunities to have that kind of impact, not only for myself, but other young men women — domestic violence does not discriminate — it’s something that I’m incredibly excited about to do on a large scale,” she added.
A few weeks earlier, Smith spoke to KWCH 12 in an Instagram clip shared on July 9 about her “Respect Reclaimed” message that is focused on healthy relationships.
“It stems from my personal experience of falling into my family’s cycle of domestic violence, and so I wanted to broaden that message because ultimately, we have relationships all around us, not just intimate relationships, and I wanted to be able to create that message for our youth as well,” Smith says. She told the station that she uses her “special talent” of ventriloquism to get her message across to a younger audience. “I’ve been a ventriloquist for 19 years, and so, especially when I go into those youth classrooms, something that I’ve thought about is healthy friend puppets, and being able to create our own special ventriloquism dolls that is filled with different characteristics of healthy relationships that they want to see within the people around them,” Smith explains.