Miss Mexico Crowned Miss Universe 2 Weeks After Viral Confrontation with Pageant Executive Causes Contestants to Walk Out

The previous Miss Universe titleholder, Victoria Kjær Theilvig, crowned her successor in Thailand

Fátima Bosch of Mexico has been crowned the new Miss Universe, succeeding Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark, who passed on the title during the final event in Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday, Nov. 20. The 74th Miss Universe pageant, held at Impact Challenger Hall, featured more than 130 contestants from around the world and celebrated the theme “The Power of Love.”

Bosch’s win comes amid a wave of turbulence surrounding the Miss Universe Organization in the weeks leading up to the competition.

On Nov. 4, a livestream circulated widely showing pageant executive Nawat Itsaragrisil reprimanding Bosch for allegedly opting out of a promotional photo shoot intended for contestants’ social media. Bosch denied refusing to participate, but Itsaragrisil continued criticizing her, leading her to leave the room followed by several fellow contestants in solidarity.

Following the incident, Bosch commented in a video later shared by pageantry-focused Instagram accounts, saying, “Your director is not respectful. He called me dumb.” MUO president Raul Rocha Cantu also addressed the situation, stating his support for the contestants and criticizing Itsaragrisil for straying from the responsibilities of a proper host.

Further controversy arose days before the final competition when judge Omar Harfouch resigned from the official Miss Universe selection committee. Harfouch claimed he discovered through social media that a separate “impromptu jury” had allegedly been formed to select 30 finalists from the 136 delegates. According to him, none of the eight official judges were present when this supposed group met.

Harfouch suggested that members of the unofficial panel had personal ties to certain contestants and that one individual involved was responsible for tallying votes a situation he described as a serious conflict of interest. He also noted that after raising concerns, the pageant published a list of selection committee members online without clarifying their specific roles.

The Miss Universe Organization responded with a public statement firmly denying the existence of any unofficial jury and insisting that all evaluations adhered to established MUO protocols.

The judging panel saw additional shake-ups as former French soccer star Claude Makélélé withdrew for personal reasons, followed by the resignation of Princess Camilla di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, the selection committee’s president. Several new judges were added, among them Natalie Glebova a former Miss Universe who was later revealed to have coached Miss Canada competitor Jaime VandenBerg.

Last year’s titleholder, Victoria Kjær Theilvig, made history as the first Danish Miss Universe, winning the crown at the 73rd edition. She received her title from Miss Universe 2023, Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua.