Ashley Callingbull is speaking out after she called out cultural appropriation she witnessed during the Miss Universe Canada 2026 pageant
Chatting exclusively with PEOPLE, the former 2024 Miss Universe Canada shares what prompted her to ultimately address the issue by speaking out onstage
She also opens up about the support — and backlash — that she has since faced, and how she hopes things can move forward
Ashley Callingbull is opening up about the days following the shocking moment she interrupted this year's Miss Universe Canada pageant to call out instances of cultural appropriation she had witnessed during an earlier portion of the competition.
Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE on Thursday, Aug. 13, Callingbull, who was the first First Nations Miss Universe Canada, breaks down what led her to make her statement in the way she did: onstage, during the pageant. She also opens up about the aftermath of what she calls the "ballsy" decision and, most importantly, what she hopes will change as a result of her words.
The 36-year-old pageant queen, who hosted the 2026 Miss Universe Canada final on Saturday, Aug. 8, says that in the days prior, she took time to check up on how the rest of the competition was progressing in order to prepare for her host duties.
That's when she stumbled across videos from the national costume portion of the pageant, where two contestants — Karisa Haverkamp and Jasleen Kaily — were filmed wearing outfits that heavily featured elements of traditional Indigenous dress.
Immediately upon witnessing the video, Callingbull says she sprang into action. "It felt like a slap in the face to the Indigenous community," she tells PEOPLE.
Conversations about what could be done moving forward immediately commenced, with Callingbull hopping on calls with members of the Miss Universe Canada team, where she says she began recommending different courses of action to the organization. "I said, 'I could be a cultural liaison for indigenous First Nations Cree people, but I can't speak for all people. I can't speak for all cultures. There needs to be multiple people, especially if you're doing something like that, a costume competition," she recalls.
Miss Universe Canada quickly released a statement, addressing the incident. "If any costume caused offense, hurt, or misunderstanding, please know that it was never our intention," the organization wrote on Instagram. Miss Universe Canada also thanked Callingbull for her "guidance, advice and assistance on how best to address and resolve this moving forward."
"To ensure this does not happen again, we are actively implementing a comprehensive Costume Guide," the pageant also wrote. "This guide will establish clear guidelines and standards for all future pageant cycles to ensure every presentation is thoughtful and respectful." (Both Haverkamp and Kaily have since apologized for their costumes, and Callingbull tells PEOPLE Haverkamp even apologized to her following the pageant.)
However, Callingbull says that she still felt a nagging feeling in the back of her mind; she needed to do something more. "Words can go so far, but actions, they speak louder than words," she says.
Going into the final portion of the competition, Callingbull still felt unsure about everything. "I thought about that and I needed to address it, but they didn't know that I was going to do that," she says.
During the pageant, as national director Sonny Borelli prepared to announce the top 20 candidates, Callingbull couldn't have asked for a more fortuitous moment. The teleprompter had unexpectedly stopped working, and she and fellow host Borelli were ad-libbing on screen.
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She seized the moment. During her statement, Callingbull said, in part: "It's 2026, we should know better, but most importantly, a part of reconciliation is that we educate and learn and understand and move on from these things in a good way."
Callingbull says her decision to speak out at the pageant stemmed from a desire for as many people as possible to hear her message. "When people least expect it during a live show, I wanted the Indigenous community to hear it. Accountability is everything. And how you respond in moments like that when they aren't rehearsed or expected, that shows a lot," she explains to PEOPLE.
She adds: "I thought, 'Wow, this is the Creator's way of saying, Ashley, it's time to take the mic. And I know a lot of people after, even the contestants, they were like, 'That was really brave of you.' "
Reflecting on the stance she took, especially when she could have not said anything onstage, Callingbull says, "I think it's best to use your voice, especially if people try to silence you or if they try to cut you off to keep going, because it would've never been addressed. And to me, that would've been heavy on me knowing that I never said anything."
"I felt like I had a responsibility too," she adds, remembering a moment from her childhood when she had experienced racism in her workplace that inspired her and gave her strength to speak up. Just 14 at the time, Callingbull recalls the advice that her grandfather gave her: "He looked at me and said, 'Ashley, if you never speak up... things will never change.' "
Since the pageant, Callingbull has witnessed an outpouring of support, and hopes that people have learned something from her statement. "Regardless if people try to silence you or you feel like the world is against you, use your voice and speak up because you have no idea the impact it can make," she says.
Despite the support, and the positive responses from the organization so far, Callingbull also tells PEOPLE that she has experienced intense "backlash," noting that the negative reaction "is quite surprising."
"I think this is why we need to speak up is after I spoke up, I experienced so much racism and hate," she says, sharing that she has received death threats, messages from people telling her to kill herself and others calling her slurs specific to the Indigenous community. She also says that it has been "exhausting" doing the work of educating in the wake of the incident.
"Obviously, I don't respond to ignorance. You can't argue with stupid," she laughs.
Despite this, Callingbull knows that regardless of how "emotionally heavy" taking all of this on has been, she is mentally "really strong." She knows that her statement at the pageant goes beyond the hate and racism she received. "From what I've learned in life, I can't control what life throws at me, but I can control how I react to it," she says.
Going forward, Callingbull is hopeful about the conversation that has emerged as a result of her words at the pageant. She hopes that the costume contest verification process and implementation of a cultural liaison role will do more to ensure this doesn't happen again, and that others will take steps toward educating themselves in the future.
"I'm glad people are finally listening," Callingbull says. "It sucks that I'm taking so much heat from it. I'll take it, but people need to learn."
Read the original article on People