The tragic life of Zoe Bethel: How 'The Apostle' and 'The Prophetess' tortured Miss Alabama
The late beauty queen and upcoming conservative firebrand was reportedly tortured in her mysterious "secret" past. The fire and brimstone treament came from none other than her parents who encouraged her to spread homophobic propaganda across the South.
Zoe Sozo Bethel was just 27 when she fell to her death from a third-floor balcony in Miami, with police ruling it an accident. The former Miss Alabama was the daughter of two preachers — Orlando and Glynis Bethel — who reportedly called themselves 'The Apostle' and 'The Prophetess'. The duo took their children across southern US states and forced them to partake in spreading homophobic rhetoric, the New York Post reported.
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Zoe's sister Kezia told the newspaper how she had tried to "remake herself" so no one would know about their dark past. "Zoe tried to remake herself so no one would know she was the kid from Baldwin County (Alabama) who yelled 'God hates you' to people," Kezia said. "She was able to keep it a secret on a national level. No one knew who she really was until she came back to Baldwin County."
Meanwhile, Zoe's friends and loved ones are demanding more answers about her mysterious fall on February 10. Miami authorities initially called the incident an "attempted suicide" but have since ruled it as an accident. Kezia believes Zoe wasn't suicidal and that the authorities hadn't investigated her demise thoroughly. While Miami Police have declared the case closed, Zoe's loved ones insist that such a "devout believer in Jesus" wouldn't end her own life.
Kezia bemoaned the fact that their childhood was nothing short of a nightmare, revealing that her late mother had a history of mental illness. Glynis would allegedly keep her kids at home and lecture them about the Bible and their "laziness," sometimes for up to 18 hours a day. Kezia said they were in and out of foster homes because their parents were arrested for disorderly conduct and other charges stemming from their public preaching.
“I went to sleep every night crying,” Kezia told The Post. “I just wanted my family to be normal. Nothing made any sense. Zoe would fight back the most and they kicked her out of the house several times. We were scared.” Meanwhile, Zoe’s childhood best friend Sarah Cain told The Post that "her mom was off her rocker." She explained, “Zoe told me she never got that kind of motherly love. My mom did not let me go over there. She was not a fan of Zoe’s parents. Zoe’s parents would go around calling out girls as whores if they were wearing shorts. And this could be in Alabama in the summer when it was hot.”
Zoe left home at 16 and forged a successful career as a model despite facing backlash for her conservative beliefs. She was becoming a prominent right-wing figure, taking multiple trips to the Trump White House, being affiliated with Turning Point USA, as well as participating in a Young Black Leaders summit. In 2018, the Ursula Wiedemann modeling agency in Atlanta fired her after learning of her conservative beliefs. “Hey Zoe,” Wiedemann wrote in an email to Zoe. “The team has been talking about your political racist connections and we have decided to release you from your contract. We are an agency based on love, acceptance, and inclusiveness and your current public persona is not relative to our brand. Best of luck to you!”
Despite the hurdles, Zoe persevered and went on to win the Miss Alabama for America title in 2021. She was simultaneously building a career in show business and broadcast journalism. Friends told The Post how she had separated from her husband, Brennan Franklin, who took care of their five-year-old daughter at their Alabama home. Zoe was in Miami to network at the time of her death. According to reports, she went into a coma after sustaining severe brain injuries from the fall and died eight days later.