The storm of accusations has not ended yet, Miss Universe 2025 is filled with noise

(Dan Tri) - Mr. Mario Búcaro - CEO of the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) - spoke out about the shortcomings in the organization of the contest, criticizing the Miss Universe Thailand Organization (MUT), the host of this year's competition.

Before that, the sash awarding ceremony for 122 contestants on the evening of November 4th took place after many ups and downs. At the end of the event, the beauties left in a happy atmosphere, ready to enter the official activities.

Huong Giang (left) officially received the sash to represent Vietnam at the Miss Universe 2025 pageant on the evening of November 4 (Photo: MU).

However, the ceremony scheduled to take place on the afternoon of November 4 was interrupted by a conflict between Mr. Nawat and some contestants. Mr. Nawat is said to have questioned the Mexican representative and some contestants when they refused to participate in a photo shoot for a sponsoring brand.

Escalating tensions caused the Mexican representative, the reigning Miss Universe, and several other contestants to leave the event midway.

The Mexican representative and reigning Miss Universe later said they felt disrespected. However, at the evening party that same day, all the contestants still showed up in full and attended the sash ceremony that followed.

The reigning Miss Universe attended the dinner and sash ceremony even though she left in the middle of the event (Photo: MU).

Mr. Nawat burst into tears, saying he was under financial pressure.

On the evening of November 4, Mr. Nawat Itsaragrisil - President of the Miss Universe Thailand Organization and President of Miss Grand International (MGI) - livestreamed (broadcast online), bursting into tears while talking about the incident.

He affirmed that all his actions stemmed from the desire to build a large-scale and professional event, but "was very sad that some contestants did not cooperate".

According to Mr. Nawat, about 20 contestants refused to cooperate in the commercial shoot. He revealed that he was under a lot of financial pressure due to having to pay a large amount for the contest's activities.

Mr. Nawat Itsaragrisil (second from left) admitted to being under a lot of pressure and wished the Miss Universe 2025 contest to be a great success (Photo: MU).

He also said that some contestants from Latin America have their own groups and are treated differently, so he wants everyone to be treated fairly. As for the Mexican representative, he denied any personal conflict and expressed his wish for everything to be resolved peacefully.

Mr. Nawat apologized to the contestants who stayed at the sash presentation event for having to witness the “unpleasant things,” and criticized MUO for “not sending any official representatives to Thailand” at this time.

However, he affirmed his commitment not to force contestants to do things they do not want to do, will take the best care of the beauties and hopes the audience will continue to support the contest.

Miss Universe CEO responds harshly

Immediately after Mr. Nawat's speech, MUO CEO Mario Búcaro posted a long article on the official fan page of Miss Universe.

The Guatemalan businessman and former politician condemned the coercion of contestants, and affirmed that MUO will protect the fairness and dignity of the beauties.

MUO CEO Mario Búcaro (right) spoke out to criticize Mr. Nawat's loud actions with the candidates (Photo: MU).

“I will not allow acts that belittle and damage women's values ​​and dignity to take place at the contest,” he declared.

At the same time, the Miss Universe Organization also issued a statement affirming: "The Miss Universe Organization reaffirms its commitment to work closely with the host country, Miss Grand International (MGI) and local partners to ensure the success of the 74th Miss Universe pageant."

According to the announcement, a high-level delegation led by Mr. Mario Búcaro is traveling to Thailand to coordinate with the host country and relevant authorities, ensuring a safe, professional and transparent environment for all candidates.

Currently, Mr. Nawat has not responded to the statement of CEO MUO.

Beauty pageant mired in controversy

Before the sash ceremony, MUO and MUT had a conflict over the right to organize side activities. The “Special Dinner and Talk” poll launched by MUT was declared by MUO as “illegal, not within the framework of the competition”, leading to the cancellation of the poll results.

On the evening of November 4, Miss Universe 2025 contestants attended the dinner party and received their sashes (Photo: MU).

Sources in the host country said MUT was upset when one of MUO's main sponsors was an online betting website - which goes against Thailand's advertising regulations.

Within just 4 days since the contest officially launched (November 2), a series of accusations and conflicts have seriously affected the image of Miss Universe 2025.

Senior personnel changes before the season

Previously, MUO announced the appointment of Mr. Mario Búcaro (Guatemala) as CEO to replace Ms. Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip (Thai) after she announced her resignation on May 20.

“The Miss Universe Organization warmly welcomes Mario Búcaro to his new role and looks forward to a new chapter of growth, innovation and global impact,” MUO said in a statement.

Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip made headlines when she bought the Miss Universe Organization for $20 million in 2022. However, after two years of running the beauty pageant, the transgender billionaire is facing bankruptcy. Anne's JKN Group filed for bankruptcy/business recovery in November 2023.

Ms. Anne still holds 58% of the shares, making her the largest owner but no longer has executive rights. Before leaving her position, Ms. Anne appointed Mr. Nawat as CEO of Miss Universe 2025, giving him full authority to organize, produce and market the event.

According to the plan, the Miss Universe 2025 contest will take place from November 2 to November 21 in Thailand, gathering 122 contestants from all over the world . Vietnam's representative in this year's competition is transgender beauty Nguyen Huong Giang.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giai-tri/song-gio-dau-to-chua-co-hoi-ket-hoa-hau-hoan-vu-2025-ngap-trong-on-ao-20251105090918731.htm