Former Miss Teen USA Runner-Up Gloria Almonte Claims Raven-Symoné Bragged About Voting Against “The Black Girl” At 2001 Pageant… As Resurfaced Identity Comments Trigger MASSIVE Backlash!! (DETAILS)
Honey, clear off your timelines, dust off your pageant sashes, and grab a front-row seat, because we’ve got the absolute messiest pop-culture firestorm taking over social media today! Raven-Symoné is finding herself in the hottest seat of her career as past comments, controversial podcast clips, and now quarter-century-old allegations are all crashing down at once!
The latest shockwave comes straight from former Miss Teen USA 2001 first runner-up Gloria Almonte (representing New York), who publicly claimed that a 15-year-old Raven—who served as a celebrity judge for the live broadcast—approached her after the show to brag about voting for her over the eventual Black winner, Marissa Whitley (Miss Missouri). As a Puerto Rican woman reflecting on this moment, Gloria’s recollection raises serious questions about identity and respect within spaces of Black excellence.
The 2001 Pageant Allegation: “I Didn’t Vote For The Black Girl!”
Taking to social media platform Threads to drop her bombshell recollection, Gloria Almonte revealed that after 25 years, a sudden epiphany hit her regarding her interaction with the Disney star at the coronation after-party:
- The Coronation Party Encounter: Gloria claims Raven approached her surrounded by energy, allegedly blurting out that she voted for Gloria instead of “the Black girl” (referring to Marissa Whitley, who made history winning the title).
- Overwhelmed In The Moment: Gloria explained that as a teenager dealing with placing second, endless press interviews, and pageant chaos, the comment didn’t fully register at the time.
- Looking Back 25 Years Later: “Now, I’m like… WTF you mean Black girl? Her name is Marissa. Miss Missouri!” Gloria wrote online. “Mind you, you had all of our information in front of you prior to the telecast. What is wrong with this woman?”
Official pageant records do confirm Raven was a celebrity judge in 2001 and Whitley won the crown, though Almonte’s specific account of their private conversation remains unverified.
“Was She Black?” The Resurfaced Podcast Clip That Started The Firestorm!
Almonte’s allegation lands at an extraordinarily messy moment for Raven-Symoné, as the star was already facing intense online heat over a resurfaced clip from her podcast, Tea Time with Raven and Miranda!
During an episode featuring media personality Kalen Allen, the guest praised Raven’s iconic Disney character Raven Baxter, describing the character and her fictional family as “Black as f—”. Raven instantly stopped the conversation, asking: “Was she Black?” When Kalen pointed out the obviously Black family portrayed on the hit Disney Channel show, Raven pushed back, asking him to strip color away: “Make them green, and hear the words. What color are they?”
- The “Colorless” Challenge: Following viral backlash, Kalen cleared the air on Threads, doubling down that Raven Baxter was indeed “Black AF” regardless of how her portrayer views the character.
- Deeper Questions: Many began questioning whether this denial connects to broader patterns in how some celebrities distance themselves from explicit conversations around race and cultural identity.
Oprah Interviews, “Watermelondrea” & Marriage Backlash!
As the internet digs up Raven’s entire history, fans are pulling up classic controversial receipts that paint a picture worth examining closely:
- The 2014 Oprah Interview: Fans revived her famous 2014 sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, where she declared she was “not an African American” but rather “an American” and a “colorless person”—comments she later clarified were about rejecting labels rather than her Blackness.
- The View Controversies: People also brought up her 2015 stint on The View, where she infamously claimed she wouldn’t hire someone with a “ghetto name” like “Watermelondrea,” sparking conversations about respectability politics and judgment.
- Defending Her Wife: The current scrutiny even touched her marriage to wife Miranda Maday! After fans dragged Miranda for revealing she didn’t grow up watching That’s So Raven, Raven jumped to her wife’s defense, stating she specifically wanted a partner who wasn’t a superfan of her childhood fame.
Social Media Explodes: “She’s Been Showing Us For 20 Years!”
As soon as Gloria Almonte’s pageant allegations hit the blogs right alongside the resurfaced podcast clip, social media users blew up comment sections in pure exhaustion:
“Raven-Symoné asking if Raven Baxter was Black is the most insane level of revisionist history I have ever seen in my life!” one top commenter wrote on X.
Another fan added: “Between ‘colorless,’ ‘Watermelondrea,’ and now this 2001 pageant story… when people show you who they are, believe them the first time!”
Honey, between 2001 pageant tea, “colorless” TV characters, and internet commentary, Raven-Symoné’s public relations team has a full-time crisis on their hands! The cumulative effect of these moments raises important conversations about how we navigate identity within the entertainment industry and what accountability truly looks like.
What do you think about Gloria Almonte’s 25-year-old pageant claims and Raven’s recent comments? Let’s talk about it in the comments below!
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