The Miss America pageant has issued a second apology for a tasteless joke about the #MeToo movement joke that was delivered during the final round of the Miss Massachusetts finals.
"I would like to set the record straight about the skit during the Miss Massachusetts finals," emcee Rich Allegretto said, according to The Wrap. "First and most importantly, my sincere apologies to those who drew any parallels between a joke about the swimsuit competition and sexual assault.
"The skit was meant as a satirical poke at those who are upset that swimsuit is going away. It was intended to be a nod to the #MeToo movement, not a knock on it."
Allegretto also said he is a sexual assault survivor, and "it was never my intention to insult or malign a movement that has done so much good for so many of us."
The personal apology from Allegretto, posted to the Miss Massachusetts Facebook page, is the second from the group.
A video of the Massachusetts event posted by the New York Observer shows a woman asking God why the Miss America pageant would no longer be have the swimsuit competition and adding "It's very upsetting, and I'm trying to understand, 'God, why it happened.'"
"Me too, Amy," said the man, who also held a sign reading #MeToo.
The joke caused one pageant contestant, Maude Gorman of Plymouth County, to resign out of disgust.
The Wrap said while it is apparent from his statement Allegretto is the emcee who made the widely criticized joke, the pageant did not immediately respond to a request to confirm it.
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