Machado to Pen Book About Her Negative Experiences with Donald Trump

Former Miss Universe Alicia Machado is ready to write the world’s wrongs…

The 38-year-old former-beauty-queen-turned-actress/singer is planning to write a book about the “abuses of power” and “racism” she suffered at the hands of Donald Trump in the mid-‘90s during her reign.

Alicia Machado

Machado was crowned Miss Universe in 1996, the fourth woman from Venezuela to win title, and soon after made headlines for concerns about her increasing weight.

When Machado was crowned she weighed 118 pounds, and eventually the 5-foot-9 beauty queen reached 160 pounds. Pageant officials apparently found the weight unacceptable and threatened to revoke her crown if she didn’t trim down.

Months before the 1997 Miss Universe pageant, in which Machado was due to hand the crown over to her successor, Donald Trump — who partly owns the Miss Universe Organization — called in fitness expert Edward Jackowski to help Machado lose weight through a rigorous diet and exercise program, all of which was documented by photographers and camera crews.

Trump told People magazine back in 1997, “We want her to stay as Miss Universe and she is working on her problem. When you win a beauty pageant, people don’t think you’re going to go from 118 to 160 in less than a year, and you really have an obligation to stay in a perfect physical state.” The real estate mogul also reportedly called Machado “an eating machine” during an interview on the Howard Stern show.

Machado, then 20 years old, told People at the time, “Before Miss Universe I was a normal girl, but my life has had big changes. I travel to many countries, eat different foods.”

The beauty queen has since been very vocal about her experience with Trump, calling him “a detestable being” as recently as June to Mexican newspaper La Reforma.

In a formal statement issued earlier this week, Machado’s reps declare that she “will share all the details, abuses of power, arrogance, and racism on Donald Trump’s part that she suffered in the flesh, issues that Alicia will share for the first time and at the appropriate time so that the whole world can see who this person really is, someone who has gained even more notoriety recently for his attacks on the Mexican people.”

Machado currently stars in Televisa’s new Spanish telenovela Lo Imperdonable. The statement mentioned that after her contractual duties with the soap opera are over, Machado will announce more details about the book. Until then, “she won’t be saying anything else on the matter.”

J Balvin Cancels Miss USA Performance Following Donald Trump’s Comments About Mexicans & Latinos

This year’s Miss USA contestants won’t be serenaded by J Balvin, as originally planned…

The 30-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer was slated to perform on the upcoming Miss USA pageant, airing live July 12 on NBC.

J Balvin

But Balvin pulled out of the show, citing his discomfort following recent comments about Mexicans and Latinos from Donald Trump, who owns the Miss Universe Organization in a joint venture with NBCUniversal.

“It was going to be my first performance on national [mainstream] television,” Balvin told Billboard exclusively from his home in Medellín, Colombia. In fact, he says, repertoire had already been discussed.

“But we’re talking about our roots, our culture, our values,” he added. “This isn’t about being punitive, but about showing leadership through social responsibility. His comments weren’t just about Mexicans, but about all Latins in general.”

The comments that ruffled Balvin’s feathers were made just a few minutes into Trump’s speech announcing his presidential bid on June 16.

“When do we beat Mexico at the border?” asked Trump. “They’re laughing at us, at our stupidity. And now they are beating us economically. They are not our friend, believe me. But they’re killing us economically.

“The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems,” he continued. “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.

“It’s coming from more than Mexico,” Trump added. “It’s coming from all over South and Latin America, and it’s coming probably — probably — from the Middle East.”

Balvin didn’t immediately hear the speech, since he was in Colombia at the time, where he lives. He also didn’t associate Trump with Miss USA until a friend pointed out the connection.

When he listened to the speech, he was shocked.

“Mexico is a Latin powerhouse,” he said. “And Mexicans, they’re known as hard workers. Here in the U.S., not everybody wants to do those kinds of jobs. I’ve lived. I know what it feels like and what they go through and how families suffer. A comment like that is powerful.”

At that point, he says, he made a decision to pull out of the show — this, despite the fact that political commentary is something he typically shies away from.

“I think music is to have fun. It’s for people to have a good time with. I’m no savior and I’m no Robin Hood,” Balvin said. “But in this case, I feel totally comfortable and responsible with my decision.”

Balvin will still get his mainstream TV opportunity: On July 25, he’ll join Stevie WonderAvril LavigneCody Simpson and Nicole Scherzinger, among others, in headlining the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. The event will air on ESPN.