Miss Universe 2025: A Crown of Controversy in Bangkok - From Walkouts to Scandals
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The 2025 edition of the Miss Universe pageant has been marred by a series of shocking incidents, culminating in the crowning of Fátima Bosch from Mexico as the winner. The drama began with a surprise leadership change just days before the competition, with former diplomat Mario Búcaro taking over as CEO, replacing Anne Jakrajutatip who had faced financial troubles with her company, JKN Global Group. In the lead-up to the pageant, Miss Universe Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil sparked a viral walkout after calling Miss Mexico 2025 Fátima Bosch a 'dummy' during a heated exchange. Several contestants walked out in protest, but Raul Rocha, the president of Miss Universe, intervened and restricted Nawat's participation in future pageant events. The controversy continued with allegations of racism, as Alicia Machado, Miss Universe 1996, made racist remarks about Nawat during an Instagram Live. Additionally, Miss Chile 2025 Inna Moll faced backlash for a TikTok video that appeared to show her snorting a line of powder, which she later apologized for, citing a language barrier. Three judges, including pianist Omar Harfouch and former French soccer player Claude Makélélé, withdrew from the competition just days before the finals, citing various reasons. The Miss Universe organizers denied Omar's claim of a 'secret vote' involving people outside the official jury. Tragedy struck during the preliminaries when Miss Jamaica Gabrielle Henry fell off the stage, but thankfully suffered no broken bones. Despite the whirlwind of scandals, Fátima Bosch was crowned Miss Universe 2025 on November 21 in Bangkok. However, just hours after the crowning, Omar took to Instagram with explosive posts claiming that Fátima's win was rigged. He alleged that Raúl Rocha, the owner of Miss Universe, had urged him to vote for Fátima because it would be 'good for business.' The drama surrounding the Miss Universe 2025 pageant continues to unfold, with many questions still unanswered.
