Miss Grand USA Strips 2026 Winner Mekyla Li of Her Title

The Miss Grand USA crown is back up for grabs after the organization removed Mekyla Li from her title just days after she was crowned.

Li, a 27-year-old model and motivational speaker, was named Miss Grand USA 2026 on Aug. 10. The organization announced Wednesday that her reign had been terminated and that she was released from the title and all related duties.

“Miss Grand USA announces the termination of Mekyla Li’s reign and her release from the Miss Grand USA Title and all associated duties,” the organization said in an Instagram statement. “This decision was made in accordance with contractual policies outlined by the Miss Grand USA organization.”

The decision follows the surfacing of court records detailing Li’s involvement in criminal and civil cases stemming from an alleged 2024 hit-and-run. The records also show that Li was previously married, which conflicts with the pageant’s eligibility rules.

According to court documents obtained by Entertainment Weekly, Li was arrested on Nov. 24, 2024, in connection with an alleged hit-and-run in Los Angeles. She faces two felony charges involving alleged injuries: one for causing a non-serious injury and another for causing a permanent serious injury.

Li was arraigned on March 19 and pleaded not guilty to both charges. The allegations have not been proven in court.

A separate civil lawsuit filed in March names Li and Michael Scobey as defendants. The complaint alleges negligence, hit-and-run, intoxicated driving and reckless driving related to the same incident.

According to the complaint, Li and Scobey were allegedly driving along Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles when they swerved into oncoming traffic and collided with another vehicle. The other driver, Anna Mercedes Aoun, alleges that the pair left the scene in a rideshare vehicle without calling emergency services.

Aoun claims she suffered catastrophic injuries, including permanent disability, as well as significant physical and emotional pain. She is seeking damages for medical expenses, lost earnings, property damage and other costs. She has also requested a jury trial.

Li’s previous marriage is another issue raised by the pageant’s rules. Divorce records obtained by PEOPLE show that Li married Danny Ray Bedwell on Aug. 9, 2018. The couple divorced on Dec. 31, 2019, citing irreconcilable differences.

Miss Grand USA lists nine eligibility requirements for contestants. Its rules state that contestants “cannot be or have been married or pregnant.” The organization also requires contestants to have “a clean personal record with no criminal history.”

Before winning the national title, Li won Miss Grand Massachusetts 2026 and Miss Asia USA 2025.

Following her Miss Grand USA victory, Li described the moment as “surreal” in an Instagram post.

“What once lived as a dream in my heart is now something I get to wake up and call reality, and somehow, I’m still on cloud nine,” she wrote.

Her reign, however, lasted only days. With the organization now seeking a new titleholder, the Miss Grand USA crown is once again without a reigning winner.