Just days before the final of the Miss Universe 2025 competition, the world’s most famous beauty pageant is going through a major crisis, punctuated by scandals and diplomatic blunders, in short, an incredible shipwreck: public humiliation, accusations of racism, apologies full of tears and sadness, if the candidates don’t seem to be having fun, the audience will be.
It all started with a surprising revelation, just before the start of the event, regarding a change in direction: Anne Jakrajutatip, Thailand’s iconic figure and the organization’s first transgender woman, left the presidency under difficult circumstances, explains an article from Business Insider. Mario Búcaro, a former diplomat, then took over the reins for a short time when the Jakrajutatip company was experiencing serious financial difficulties, having become the target of an investigation by the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission for accounting irregularities.
The new duo leading the competition, Mario Búcaro and Raul Rocha, were quickly faced with a new crisis: Nawat Itsaragrisil, the newly appointed director of Miss Universe Thailand, publicly lost his temper with Miss Mexico and humiliated her during a live-streamed meeting. He accused her of not showing up at promotional events, insulted her, called her stupid and threatened her with expulsion in front of other shocked competitors.
The scene immediately caused shockwaves: several candidates, including Victoria Kjær Theilvig (Miss Universe 2024), left the room in a sign of solidarity, condemning the violence and lack of respect shown by the organizers. Many Misses, such as Noelia Voigt (Miss USA) and Sheynnis Palacios (Miss Universe 2023), in turn published messages denouncing the public humiliation suffered by the Mexican candidates, and the loss of fundamental values that the competition seemed to suffer.
Controversy after controversy
Faced with the protests, Raul Rocha, president of Miss Universe, decided to take drastic measures: Itsaragrisil was banned from attending any events related to the competition and was strictly restricted to public grounds. In the real-life scene, the man tearfully apologized to the press, acknowledged the seriousness of his actions and admitted he had acted out of emotion.
Even so, the storm did not weaken. After this controversy, Alicia Machado, former Miss Universe 1996, immediately made racist comments on Instagram by making racist statements against Itsaragrisil, disrupting broadcasts from Thailand and China, and adding stigmatizing racist signs to her words. These statements were strongly criticized by the public and former winners, reigniting debate regarding the image of the competition and the behavior of its ambassadors.
The troubles don’t end there for this cursed edition of the beauty pageant. Miss Chili, Inna Moll, posted a controversial video on TikTok showing her pretending to sniff cocaine. Faced with the protests, he explained and apologized publicly, citing a lack of understanding – he would simply follow the steps taken. trend TikTok– and blamed her makeup artist for allegedly encouraging her to make the video.
Despite rumors of disqualification circulating on the network, candidates continued to run and continued to appear on the official account of the competition. The silence of the organizers, like that of the main protagonists, accentuates the sense of chaos that seems to be taking place behind the scenes. Is there a pilot at the controls?
The Miss Universe 2025 competition continues its tumultuous course, although no one is safe from new scandals between now and the final on November 21.
