It turns out that Chaos of this year’s Miss Universe competition did not end after Mexico’s Fátima Bosch Fernández was crowned winner last week in a contest marked by bullying, a hospitalization and allegations of voter fraud.
Instead, things have inexplicably gotten worse.
“There was something 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 media on Wednesday.
Sapini’s statement comes amid fresh controversy surrounding the Miss Universe 2025 pageant, which was held in Bangkok and culminated in Bosch being named the winner last Friday.
At this point, the competition had already been plagued by a sharp-tongued insult to Bosch by a Thai organizer, which was caught on a live stream and two judges dropped out – with one suggests that there was an element of Vote Rigging for competition – plus a fake drug controversy and a contestant’s downfallgo off stage.
What is happening in the Miss Universe universe? And can the 74-year-old survive the drama? These questions arise amid the ongoing debate about whether Beauty pageants are archaic or strengthening. But either way, it looks like people are watching.
Since the winner was announced, at least two contestants have renounced their titles and several others have commented on the competition. It’s Miss Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, who fell off the stage still in the hospital.
There is now one Arrest warrant for the co-owner of the pageant in connection with a fraud case and now even the president of the organization apparently fed up and would like to sell his share.
“It’s just that I’m fed up. I’m fed up with all this talk.” Miss Universe Organization President Raul Rocha said in one Interview on Monday with the Mexican journalist Adela Micha and translated into Media reports.
Fátima Bosch Fernández was crowned Miss Universe 2025 in Bangkok on Friday. It was a dramatic victory for the 25-year-old Bosch in a competition marked by controversy and chaos.
Audience numbers “broke records”
The Miss Universe Organization I recently posted a video With 2.6 billion global views on social media, she “broke records” this year and is the most viewed Miss Universe of all time.
NBC announced this on Tuesday Live broadcast from Telemundo A new record was also set in Spanish with 2.6 million viewers the most-watched primetime entertainment special on Spanish-language television in 2025.
“There are very few cultural events where everyone around the world can tune in at the same time and watch the same show across borders,” BBC journalist and global pop culture expert William Lee Adams told BBC The Global Story Podcast Wednesday.
People often view the pageant from a Western perspective, where ratings have declined, Adams said.
“But the fact is that this is one of the few opportunities in other countries to compete on equal terms with these very rich nations and beat them.”
The candidates forego titles and speak up
And now the drama. First, at least two candidates have renounced their titles since the end of the competition: Miss Ivory Coast and Miss Estonia.
Olivia Yace of Ivory Coast, who placed fourth and named Miss Universe Africa and Oceania, announced on Instagram Monday that she would be giving up her title as well as any future affiliation with the Miss Universe committee.
“I have to stay true to my values,” Yace wrote in the post, adding that her greatest desire is to be a positive role model for younger generations, especially girls.
Yace said stepping down means she can devote more time to her goals and values.
Miss Universe Estonia Brigitta Schaback also announced on Instagram that she resigned and said on Sunday that “m“Her values
Korneitsik is the national director of the Miss Universe Estonia organization. The organization announced People magazine There is “no personal conflict” and said, without elaborating, that Schaback had made “inappropriate” public comments.
Schaback has posted several Instagram Stories criticizing the pageant, including some that were still visible Wednesday.
“I never imagined that in 2025 I would have to stand against a platform that advocates for the rights and empowerment of women – just to defend those very rights and equal opportunities,” she wrote.
“The truth is coming”
Other candidates have spoken about their own experiences, including Miss Universe Portugal Camila Vitorino.
In one Instagram post Tuesday, Vitorino wrote to her “She no longer feels represented by the principles that the Miss Universe Organization seeks to uphold,” after she claimed organizers suggested that women in relationships or with children had no chance of winning.
There is also Miss Haitis cryptic media statement today, in which she described her experience as “a nightmare.”
“You’ve seen the headlines. But what we went through was far worse. A rigged voting system. Judges with personal connections to contestants. Blatant favoritism toward certain contestants based on the color of their skin,” Sapini said.
No further details about the allegations were released, but the message ended with “The truth is coming.”
Drama for viewers?
On Wednesday there was another new chapter of controversy: a Arrest warrant.
A court in Thailand said it had issued an arrest warrant for a co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization in connection with a fraud case. Jakkaphong (Anne) Jakrajutatip was charged with fraud and released on bail in 2023.
She failed to appear in a Bangkok court on Tuesday as required. Her whereabouts remain unclear. She did not appear at the 74th Miss Universe pageant.
Miss Ireland told of the “chaos” of the beauty pageant Aadya Srivastava told People magazine On Monday, she believes the organization wanted to create drama for viewers.
“I see it as a way to gain opinions, to gain media attention, and that’s what they ended up getting,” Srivastava said.
