From Miss Mexico being called a ‘dummy’ to Miss Jamicia's fall on stage: Everything that happened at Miss Universe 2025
Forget the crown, this year’s Miss Universe might win an award for most controversies per minute. Here’s everything that happened
From leadership shake-ups to on-stage falls, the 2025 edition of Miss Universe has been one wild ride. Here’s a recap of everything that went down before Mexico’s Fátima Bosch finally walked away with the crown in Bangkok today (November 21).
The first domino falls: Leadership changes right before the competition
Miss Universe kicked off the season with a surprise corporate twist. The organisation announced a new CEO, former diplomat Mario Búcaro, just days before the pageant replaced the original CEO Anne Jakrajutatip. Anne had bought the Miss Universe brand in 2022 for $20 million and made history as its first woman (and first trans woman) owner.
Anne had promised to usher in a “new era” for women’s empowerment, declaring, “From now on, it’s going to be run by women, owned by a trans woman, for all women around the world.” But in October 2024, she quietly stepped down amid serious financial troubles at her company, JKN Global Group, which later faced a bankruptcy petition and a fraud investigation.
In her place, Mario took charge alongside Raul Rocha, who became president after Anne sold half the company’s stake earlier in 2024. Anee has not publicly commented on her resignation.
The viral walkout
The real chaos, though, began on November 4, when Miss Universe Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil clashed with Miss Mexico 2025 Fátima Bosch during a meeting with all the contestants. The worst part? It was all caught live on Facebook.
Nawat accused Fátima of skipping a promotional event and, during the heated exchange, told her, “If you listen to your director, you’re a dumbhead.” Bosch replied calmly, “You are not respecting me as a woman.” The confrontation led several contestants to walk out in protest. Nawat reportedly demanded they sit back down, saying, “If anyone wants to continue the contest, sit down.”
Amid growing backlash, Miss Universe president Raul Rocha stepped in, releasing a statement that he had restricted Nawat’s participation in future pageant events, calling his actions “a serious abuse.” Raul added, “The only ones who should shine are our delegates who represent each of their countries with dignity.”
A tearful Nawat later apologised publicly, saying, “I am human. I didn’t want to do anything like that.”
Racism, rumours, and a ‘cocaine snorting’ TikTok
Just as the dust began to settle, a former Miss Universe stirred the pot again. Alicia Machado, Miss Universe 1996, made racist remarks about Nawat during an Instagram Live, referring to him as Chinese and saying “everyone with slanted eyes” looked Chinese to her — even pulling back her eyes on camera.
Then, Miss Chile 2025 Inna Moll shocked fans with a TikTok showing her pretending to snort a line of powder as part of a makeup transition trend. After widespread backlash, Inna deleted the video and apologised, saying it was a misunderstanding due to a language barrier. Her makeup artist, who suggested the idea, also issued a public apology.
Judges drop out
As if that wasn’t enough, three judges — pianist and composer Omar Harfouch and former professional French soccer player Claude Makélélé — withdrew just days before the finals. Omar alleged that the Miss Universe organisation held a “secret vote” involving people outside the official jury while Claude claimed “unforeseen personal reasons” for his exit from the jury.
Furthermore, Princess Camilla di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, president of the Miss Universe selection committee, had also reportedly stepped down from her judging role. The Miss Universe organisers denied Omar's claim, clarifying that the so-called committee was a separate “social impact” panel unrelated to judging.
Miss Jamaica Gabrielle Henry falls off the stage
Meanwhile, tragedy nearly struck during the preliminaries when Miss Jamaica Gabrielle Henry fell off the stage during the preliminary evening gown round on Wednesday in Bangkok. She was hospitalised with minor injuries but, thankfully, suffered no broken bones. Miss Universe president Raul posted an update on his Instagram page later that night saying, “Thankfully, there are no broken bones and she is under good care. She will remain under observation for the rest of the night.”
Gabrielle is 29 years old and works as an ophthalmologist who created a foundation to advocate for people who are visually impaired. She was noticeably absent from the rest of the events.
Miss Mexico crowned, Omar exposes scandal
Despite the whirlwind of scandals, the night ended with a triumph that pageant fans could finally agree on. Fátima Bosch of Mexico was crowned Miss Universe 2025 on November 21 in Bangkok.
Her win felt like poetic justice — until a few hours later, when controversy struck again. Omar, one of the judges who had earlier stepped down, took to Instagram with a series of explosive posts claiming that “Miss Mexico is a fake winner.”
In his posts, Omar alleged that he had predicted Fátima's win a day before the finale, telling HBO that Miss Universe owner Raúl Rocha was “in business with Fátima's father.” He added that “all details will be shown in May 2026 on HBO.” Omar further claimed that “Raúl Rocha and his son urged me, a week ago in Dubai, to vote for #FatimaBosch because they need her to win — ‘because it will be good for our business,’ they said to me.”
One thing’s for sure — Miss Universe 2025 might have its queen, but the drama’s still wearing the crown.
