Miss Universe 2025 might go down as the year the glamour cracked. For decades, the competition has tried to reinvent itself as a celebration of diversity and progress. But this year, a long list of controversies has overshadowed the event. The never-ending cycle of bad press includes a contestant being berated by a director live on camera, accusations of a rigged voting system and an alleged love affair between a judge and one of the women competing for the crown.
The drama surrounding the Miss Universe Organization started last year when former chief executive officer Anne Jakrajutatip, who made history as the first woman and first trans woman to own the pageant after acquiring it for $20 million in 2022, sparked controversy by seemingly mocking contestants on social media and praising certain beauty traits as superior. In a press conference following the crowning of Miss Universe 2024 Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark, Jakrajutatip responded to a question about the pageant’s evolution by saying, “We have blond and blue eyes, so we’re coming to the ultimate evolution already. We don’t need any more evolution here. We already got the best here.”
Jakrajutatip promised a new era of women’s empowerment. However, her resignation in June 2025 amid financial and legal troubles at her company JKN Global Group, including allegations of misleading financial statements and bankruptcy proceedings, cast a shadow over the pageant’s leadership and future direction.
On Oct. 29, the Miss Universe Organization appointed former diplomat Mario Búcaro as CEO, with Raúl Rocha serving as president after buying a 50 percent stake in the company earlier this year. In a statement, the Miss Universe Organization said Jakrajutatip had stepped down to focus on her family.
Contestants Walked Out
Not even a week later, the Miss Universe was making headlines again after one of its executives, Nawat Itsaragrisil, was caught berating Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch during a livestreamed video on the Miss Universe Thailand Facebook page on Nov. 4. The director was telling contestants that they were meant to “promote” the host country via social media, and then claimed Bosch was not posting and referred to her as “dumb” or a “dummy,” as seen on the video.
Bosch stood up to defend herself, and Itsaragrisil instructed security to remove her from the pre-competition briefing. Several other contestants, however, stood up and began to walk out of the room in support of their fellow competitor. The episode prompted a major backlash on social media with members of the pageantry world criticizing Itsaragrisil’s behavior.
“I stand in full solidarity with Fátima Bosch, Victoria Kjær Theilvig [Miss Universe 2024], and all of the incredible women who walked out yesterday in protest of the unacceptable treatment that occurred at the Miss Universe 2025 Orientation in Thailand,” Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt wrote on her Instagram. “To Nawat (and to anyone else who thinks this kind of behavior is acceptable): Don’t be sorry simply because you got caught,” Voigt said.
Voigt, who stepped away from her Miss USA 2023 title and duties in May 2024, said she understood “what it feels like when your voice is dismissed and your dignity is demeaned.” Bosh also released a statement on Instagram, saying the director was disrespectful. “I think that the world needs to see this because we are empowered women and this is a platform for our voice,” she said.
Following the episode, the Miss Universe Organization issued an apology, and Rocha said, “I will not allow the values of respect and dignity toward women to be violated,” according to USA Today.
In a video that went viral on TikTok, Itsaragrisil broke down in tears and apologized to the delegates for his behavior, saying, “I am human. I didn’t want to do anything like that.” He was then dismissed from the pageant proceedings.
Social Media Drama
While discussing Itsaragrisil’s behavior on Instagram Live on Nov. 5, Miss Universe 1996 Alicia Machado of Mexico referred to him as Chinese. When one of the followers pointed out that Itsaragrisil was of Thai descent, Machado said “everyone with slanted eyes” was Chinese to her, pulling back the corners of her eyes on camera.
Social media continued to serve as a stage for more controversies surrounding the pageant. On Nov. 6, Miss Chile Inna Moll pretended to snort a line of cocaine while doing a makeup video to the sound of “Addicted to You” on TikTok. Moll later deleted the video and said the idea came from her makeup artist, Taratorn Aek, who then issued a statement on his own Instagram account.
“What I did was thoughtless and without any hidden intent to harm the contestant or the country’s image,” Aek said. “It was merely a piece of content following a current online trend. I assure you that something like this will not happen again.”
Rigging Accusations
Just two days before the Miss Universe, a new accusation of “structural fraud” put the credibility of the competition in jeopardy. Composer Omar Harfouch, who was previously announced as one of the judges for this year’s Miss Universe, stepped down from his duties, sharing on his Instagram account that he is considering “the filing of a formal complaint before the Office of the Attorney General against the Miss Universe Organization.” “The issues under review include, but are not limited to: fraud, abuse of power, corruption, deception, breach of contract, conflict of interest, and emotional and reputational damages,” the statement says.
Harfouch accuses the Miss Universe of organizing a “secret and illegitimate vote” that was “held to determine the top 30 contestants before the arrival of the official jury.” According to him, the vote was “conducted by individuals who are not recognized members of the official judging panel, including at least one person with a personal romantic relationship with a contestant.”
“In addition to the structural fraud, I was misled and publicly used to give credibility to an election process that was already compromised. The emotional trauma, reputational damage, and the significant time and energy I invested — especially in composing original music for an event that violated fundamental principles of fairness — are not negligible and will be included in the legal claims for damages and compensation,” he said.
The Miss Universe Organization issued an official statement regarding Harfouch’s accusations, denying them. “The Miss Universe Organization firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols,” the statement says.
Following Harfouch’s announcement, French football star Claude Makélélé also announced he would step down from the judging panel, citing “unforeseen personal reasons.”
“This was a difficult decision, as I hold Miss Universe in the highest regard. The platform represents empowerment, diversity, and excellence — values I have always championed throughout my career. I sincerely apologise to the organisation, the contestants, and everyone involved, and I hope to be able to contribute in the future under better circumstances,” Makélélé wrote.
According to People, Princess Camilla di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, who was supposed to be the president of the Miss Universe selection committee, also stepped down two days before the pageant.
WWD has reached out to the Miss Universe Organization.
For audiences in the U.S., the 2025 Miss Universe pageant will be available to stream via Telemundo and Peacock on Nov. 20. Due to the time difference, the final competition for the pageant will take place at 8 a.m. in Thailand on Nov. 21. Coverage of the competition will begin at 7 p.m. ET in the U.S. on Nov. 20.
