Three Miss Universe judges resign before Nov 21 finale, deepening a crisis
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The 2025 contest is scheduled to conclude on Nov 21 in Bangkok after a preliminary competition on Nov 19.
PHOTO: EPA
Yan Zhuang
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BANGKOK – Three judges announced their resignation from the Miss Universe 2025 competition – with one arguing it was rigged – days before the pageant is set to crown its 74th winner in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov 21.
It is the latest controversy to roil the beauty pageant after a top organiser caused an outcry with a tirade against Miss Mexico
On Nov 18, Mr Omar Harfouch, a Lebanese-French composer, said on Instagram he had resigned from the eight-member judging panel, accusing the competition of being a “charade” that lacks transparency.
His most striking claim was that the contest has a second group of judges who decide in secret about who makes the final. The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) has denied the claims.
Hours later, former French soccer star Claude Makelele, another judge, said on Instagram he would not attend the contest, citing “unforeseen personal reasons”. He added: “This was a difficult decision, as I hold Miss Universe in the highest regard.”
According to American entertainment outlet People, a day after their announcements, the president of the Miss Universe selection committee, Princess Camilla di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, also reportedly dropped out of judging.
The MUO owns the brand and makes money by licensing it to national organisations and selling broadcast rights. Demand from broadcasters and sponsors has declined in recent decades as audiences lost interest in beauty pageants.
The 2025 contest held a preliminary competition on Nov 19.
In his posts, Mr Harfouch wrote that he had discovered an “impromptu jury”, formed to select the competition’s 30 finalists out of the 136 participants without the knowledge of the eight judges. He said some members of the group, whom he did not name, have personal relationships with the contestants.
He said that after confronting the organisers about this, they published a list of names involved in the selection process. He resigned after a conversation with Mr Raul Rocha Cantu, president and co-owner of the MUO, about what he called the “lack of transparency in the Miss Universe voting process”.
In a statement, the MUO denied the existence of a second set of judges. “All competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent and supervised MUO protocols,” it said.
It accused Mr Harfouch of making a “public mischaracterisation of the programme” and said the list of names it published was the selection committee of an unrelated social impact initiative.
It did not respond to Mr Makelele’s announcement and did not respond to a request for comment from The New York Times.
Earlier in November, several contestants walked out after Mr Nawat Itsaragrisil, a Thai businessman who co-owns the MUO, scolded Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch for not taking part in some promotional activities.
The following day, Mr Nawat apologised. Mr Cantu rebuked Mr Nawat, saying he would not allow contestants to be “attacked and humiliated”. NYTIMES
