chaos at this year's Miss Universe pageant It didn't end after Mexico's Fatima Bosch Fernandez emerged last week as the winner of a contest marred by bullying, hospitalization and allegations of voter fraud.
Instead, for inexplicable reasons, the situation got even worse.
“Something was deeply wrong behind the scenes. We felt it. We saw it. We lived it,” Miss Universe Haiti Melissa Queenie Sapini said in a statement released to the media Wednesday.
Sapini's statement comes amid fresh controversy over the Miss Universe 2025 pageant, which took place in Bangkok and ended with Bosch being named the winner last Friday.
At that time, the competition had already suffered due to a sharp reprimand by the Thai organizer towards Bosch, caught on live television, two judges dropped out of the game – with one of them assumes the presence of an element vote preparation for the competition – plus fake drug dispute and participant's fallleaving the stage.
What's going on in the Miss Universe universe? And can the 74-year-old contestant survive the drama? These questions loom amid ongoing debates about beauty pageants are archaic or empowerment. But either way, people seem to be watching.
Since the winner was announced, at least two contestants have renounced their titles and several more have spoken out about the competition. Miss Jamaica Gabrielle Henry, who fell off the stage, still in hospital.
Meanwhile, there are two arrest warrants for two co-owners of the competition in Thailand and Mexicoand now even the president of the organization reportedly tired and wants to sell his share.
“I’m just so tired of all this talk.” Miss Universe Organization President Raul Rocha said in interview on Monday with Mexican journalist Adela Micha and translated into media reports.
Fatima Bosch Fernandez was crowned Miss Universe 2025 on Friday in Bangkok. It was a dramatic victory for 25-year-old Bosch in a competition filled with controversy and chaos.
Viewership “broke records”
Miss Universe Organization recently posted a video saying she “broke records” this year as the most-watched Miss Universe in history, with 2.6 billion views worldwide on social media.
NBC announced Tuesday that Telemundo Live Broadcast in Spanish also set a new record with 2.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched primetime entertainment program on Spanish-language television in 2025.
Miss Universe has not received such widespread media coverage since then. Steve Harvey named the wrong winner back in 2015, BBC journalist and global pop culture expert William Lee Adams told CBC News.
“Obviously, audiences love trainwreck,” he said.
But that's not the case for the contestants, Adams said, adding that the fact that several queens and organizations have cut ties with the pageant “speaks volumes.” Add to that the arrest warrants, allegations of voter fraud and abuse, and it doesn't look good, he said.
“All of this casts a shadow on the crown,” Adams said. “Fewer franchises will mean less and weaker competition. You can’t name your winner Miss Universe if she only beats a few dozen contestants.”
Contestants give up titles and speak out
And now the drama. First, at least two contestants gave up their titles after the end of the competition: Miss Ivory Coast and Miss Estonia. And several Miss Universe organizations have indicated that they may stop working with the contestants.
Olivia Yas from Ivory Coast finished fourth. and named Miss Universe Africa and Oceania has been announced. Instagram Monday that she renounces her title, “as well as any future membership on the Miss Universe committee.
“I must stay true to my values,” Yas wrote in her post, adding that her greatest desire is to be a positive role model for the younger generation, especially girls.
Yase said leaving the company will mean she can devote herself more fully to her goals and values.
Brigitte Shabak was also announced as Miss Universe Estonia. on Instagram that she is resigning, saying on Sunday that “mMy values and work ethic do not align with those of National Director Natalia Korneytsik.”
Korneitsik is the national director of the Miss Universe Estonia organization. The organization reported this. People magazine “there was no personal conflict” and said, without going into detail, that Shabak made “inappropriate” public comments.
Shabak posted several articles on Instagram criticizing the competition, including some that were still visible on Wednesday.
“I never imagined that in 2025 I would have to stand up to a platform created to protect the rights and empowerment of women – simply to protect those same rights and equal opportunities,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, Frédéric Gilbert, president of the Miss France organization, was quoted in the November 21 article. saying he wondered whether he should cut ties with the Beyond the Crown competition because he said it wasn't clear how judges selected contestants for it.
“We can't just hide it. An error may happen. But this series of failures – they will have to explain themselves,” Gilbert told Paris Match.
On Monday, Miss Universe Guyana National Director and Miss Universe Ghana Co-Director Teri Brown-Walker: announced on Instagram that she was resigning “amid ongoing concerns about the transparency of the selection process.”
“The Truth Is Coming”
Other contestants spoke about their own experiences, including Miss Universe Portugal Camila Vitorino.
IN Instagram post on Tuesday Vitorino wrote that she “No longer feels represented by the principles that the Miss Universe Organization has decided to uphold” after organizers said women in relationships or with children had no chance of winning.
There is also Miss Haiti. cryptic statement to the media today, in which she called her experience a “nightmare.”
“You saw the headlines. But what we went through was much worse. Rigged voting system. Judges with personal relationships with participants. Clear favoritism towards certain members based on the color of their skin,” Sapini said.
No further details were provided about the allegations, but the message ended with the words “the truth is approaching.”
Arrest warrants for co-owners of the competition
By Wednesday, another new chapter had emerged in the debate: two arrest warrants.
A Thai court said on Wednesday it had issued an arrest warrant for the co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization in connection with a fraud case. Jakkafong (Anne) Jakrayutathip was charged with fraud and then released on bail in 2023.
She failed to appear in court in Bangkok as required on Tuesday. Her whereabouts remain unclear. She did not appear at the 74th Miss Universe pageant.
Meanwhile, Mexico is investigating the president of the Miss Universe Organization for alleged drug and weapons trafficking and fuel theft, the Attorney General's Office said Wednesday. according to Reuters.
The department said in a statement that 13 unidentified arrest warrants had been issued as part of the investigation. However, local media reported that a warrant had been issued against Miss Universe President Raoul Rocha. The Mexican citizen owns half of the Miss Universe organization.
The attorney general's office, disclosing details of the investigation it said dates back to 2024, referred to Rocha as “Raul R,” as is customary in Mexico.
Adams, the pop culture expert, says the crisis has huge implications for business but also presents new opportunities.
“More people than ever are waiting to see what the Miss Universe Organization will do next,” Adams said.
“Addressing the legitimate concerns of competitors and the franchises they represent could be the biggest development in pageant history.”
