Originally appeared on E! Online
Miss America 2026 Cassie Donegan knows true beauty is not skin-deep.
That’s why the 28-year-old is brushing off online criticism over her makeup at the latest national pageant, during which she represented New York.
“I’m just a normal person. No, I don’t want to hear people ever say anything negative, especially about my appearance,” she told People in an interview published Sept. 9. “But I also respect that the internet is a public space and that people have the right to their opinion to be able to share that, and no one’s going to be everyone’s favorite all of the time.”
Instead, Donegan is “just going to do my best to love everyone and care about everyone.”
“Because at the end of the day, if even just one person has felt touched in some way or seen or loved through me as Miss America, then I’ve done my job,” she continued. “And that’s the most important thing.”
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Donegan, who moonlights as a singer and an actress, has also been tapping into her support system amid her newfound fame.
“Often you do have to just pick and choose what you allow yourself to digest,” she noted of online chatter. “That’s something that’s been a really useful tool, really leaning into those who are lifting me up, loving me and holding me high, and choosing to focus on the positivity that’s happening in the moment.”
And that includes her family.
“My family is my rock,” Donegan shared on her official website. “My pups are my joy.”
She added, “In short — I’m just a goofball who loves to laugh, loves fully and unconditionally, and is darn lucky that I get to play and tell stories for a living!”
→ Continue reading at NBC New York
