Miss Grand USA removes newly crowned Mekyla Li over undisclosed eligibility violations
Miss Grand USA terminated Mekyla Li’s reign just a week after she won the national title, citing contract rules tied to a pending criminal case and a past marriage.
After winning Miss Grand USA on August 10, Mekyla Li of Massachusetts saw her reign end on August 19 when the organization announced her removal under its contractual policies. While the statement omitted specifics, investigative reporting revealed that Li faces criminal charges from a November 2024 alleged hit-and-run, including counts of non-serious and permanent serious injury, to which she pleaded not guilty in March.
A civil suit also accuses her and Michael Scobey of fleeing the scene and causing catastrophic injuries to plaintiff Anna Mercedes Aoun. Additionally, Li’s marriage from August 2018 to December 2019 appears to violate the pageant’s rule barring married or pregnant contestants. Her successor has not been named, though first runner-up Victoria Oluwakotanmi of Indiana is poised to step in, and Li had been slated to compete internationally in India on October 10.
Why it matters
The revocation highlights how personal legal issues can affect eligibility and reputation in high-profile pageants.
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