Miss Universe has officially crowned its newest queen.
On Thursday, Nov. 20, the global beauty competition returned to the Impact Challenger Hall in Bangkok, Thailand, where Fátima Bosch, representing Mexico, was named the winner of the 74th Miss Universe pageant. Contestants from more than 130 countries and territories competed for the coveted title under this year’s theme, “The Power of Love.”
Bosch’s victory marks a historic celebration for Mexico — but it comes at a time when the Miss Universe Organization has faced a string of controversies that unfolded in the weeks leading up to the finals.
Earlier in the month, a livestream captured pageant executive Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly reprimanding Bosch for allegedly refusing to participate in a promotional photo shoot intended for all contestants. Bosch denied the accusation, but Itsaragrisil continued to criticize her, prompting several contestants to walk out in solidarity as she exited the room.
Neither Bosch nor the Miss Universe Organization immediately addressed the situation, but the Miss Universe hopeful later spoke to reporters in a clip shared by pageantry_com and tgpc_official on Instagram.
“Your director is not respectful,” Bosch said in the video. “He called me dumb.”
The organization’s president, Raul Rocha Cantu, later released a video statement expressing support for the contestants and stating that Itsaragrisil had “forgotten the true meaning of what it means to be a genuine host.”
Judging Committee Shake-Up
As the pageant approached, internal tensions escalated. On Nov. 17, Omar Harfouch, a judge on the official Miss Universe selection committee, announced his resignation. He claimed he had discovered an “impromptu jury” allegedly responsible for selecting 30 semifinalists behind closed doors — without the eight official judges present.
Harfouch further alleged that the supposed unofficial panel included individuals with potential conflicts of interest, including connections to competitors and those involved in vote counting.
In response, Miss Universe released a statement refuting the claims:
“No impromptu jury has been created… all competition evaluations follow established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols.”
Still, the situation intensified when former French soccer star Claude Makélélé withdrew as a judge for personal reasons. One day later, Princess Camilla di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, president of the selection committee, also stepped down.
The organization quickly appointed additional judges — among them Natalie Glebova, Miss Universe 2005. Shortly after her appointment, it was revealed that Glebova had previously coached Miss Canada, Jaime VandenBerg, one of this year’s competitors, raising further questions about impartiality.
Despite the turbulence behind the scenes, the grand finale proceeded with its signature glamour. Bosch received her crown from last year’s winner, Victoria Kjær Theilvig, who made history in 2023 as the first Miss Universe from Denmark.
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