Miss USA President Laylah Rose Says Runner-Ups are 'Still Going to Be a Queen' After Miss Teen USA 2024 Pageant (Exclusive)

Celebrities walked the carpet before Miss Teen USA 2024 winner was crowned in Los Angeles on Thursday, Aug. 1

Before Addie Carver of Mississippi was crowned the new Miss Teen USA 2024, Miss USA President and CEO Laylah Rose said the runner-ups are "still going to be a queen."

This year's Miss Teen USA pageant was held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday, Aug. 1. Rose, 45, was among those who walked the red carpet and spoke with PEOPLE before the event.

"When they wake up tomorrow, they're still going to be a queen," Rose tells PEOPLE of the contestants who will be going home without a crown. "So they came here as a queen and they'll leave here as a queen."

Related: Why Are Miss USA and Miss Teen USA Stepping Down? Everything to Know About Their Resignations

Rose notes that their home states will be "cheering them on still" and they still have a "duty to be there" for their fellow contestants and "the next group of girls that come for 2025."

"It's such a great sisterhood. I love watching it," Rose continues. "I've been a part of it, and it's just going to get stronger."

E! News host and red carpet correspondent Justin Sylvester served as the competition's host alongside The Bachelorette's Rachel Lindsay.

The judge's panel included actress Francia Raisa, Dancing with the Stars pro dancer Rylee Arnold, influencer Alyssa Carson, Miss Teen USA 2019 Kaliegh Garris and model Shree Saini.

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This year's titleholder was announced months after former Miss Teen USA 2023 Umasofia Srivastava gave up her crown following former Miss USA Noelia Voigt's resignation from her own title.

At the time, Srivastava said on social media that her “personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization" but that she was "grateful for all the support from my family, my state directors, my sister queens, and the fans who have cheered me on since I won my state title."

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After Srivastava renounced her crown, first runner-up Miss New York Teen USA Stephanie Skinner said she was offered the crown, but told PEOPLE that she declined. "I worked so hard and sacrificed so much for this goal to become Miss Teen USA," she said at the time. "Although this title was a dream of mine, I believe one thing I will never give up is my character."

Following Voigt's resignation, Savannah Gankiewicz accepted the crown and was named Miss USA 2023.

Gankiewicz, 28, also attended the Miss Teen USA 2024 pageant and spoke with PEOPLE at the red carpet. She says she told the contestants to "have fun" before they took the stage.

"It is a competition and you only get to be on that stage for a certain amount of minutes, but enjoy every second and at the end of the day," Gankiewicz says. "Crown or no crown, you walked out of here a winner just to be your state delegate as just a huge accomplishment."

Miss USA 2024 will be crowned on Sunday, Aug. 4.

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