Judges’ resignations, accusations ahead of Miss Universe finals

With two judges confirmed resigning from the Miss Universe 2025 competition in the space of 24 hours, mere days before the finals, and an incident two weeks ago which saw some of the queens walking out of a meeting in support of Miss Mexico, this year’s competition has been marked by challenges.

And, then, in a turn of events, Miss Universe Jamaica 2025 Dr Gabrielle Henry, who was accompanied to the competition by her mother and aunt, suffered a fall from the main stage during the evening gown parade prelims this week and had to be rushed to a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday, national co-directors Mark McDermoth and Karl Williams said that Dr Henry “was rushed to the Paolo Rangsit Hospital, where medical professionals are attending to her care and have advised that she is not suffering from any life-threatening injuries. However, they continue to conduct tests to ensure her full recovery.”

Dr Henry is reported to have only minor bruising, with no broken bones or sprained ankle, and is said to be feeling ‘upbeat.

The day before the contestants were judged on their gowns, one of the judges, Lebanese-French composer, Omar Harfouch, resigned with a public post on Instagram claiming that the competition was rigged, an accusation that the Miss Universe Organization has strongly denied.

In Tuesday’s post, Harfouch made reference to “a secret vote” that was held to pre-select 30 contestants. “This vote was carried out by individuals who are ‘not official members of the jury’, myself included. To this day, no one knows who the selected 30 are, except one individual who holds the results. This same person is affiliated with a national organisation of a participating country — which is a clear ‘conflict of interest’,” Harfouch posted on Instagram.

The Miss Universe Organization immediately responded with clarification, emphasising that “no external group has been authorised to evaluate delegates or select finalists” and that “all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent and supervised MUO protocols”. The organisation explained that the social impact segment of the competition, called Beyond the Crown, has its own selection committee, which was separate from the selection committee of which Harfouch was a part.

Harfouch, in his statement said that he “could not stand before the public and television cameras, pretending to legitimise a vote I never took part in”.

“Some of the countries eliminated through this process could be at war, discriminated against, or geopolitically sensitive. Viewers would assume the jury made these decisions, and I cannot bear responsibility for a process I did not participate in. Pretending otherwise would be dishonest,” he wrote.

Harfouch also stated that he will not be playing the music that he composed for the event.

The Miss Universe Organisation said that given Harfouch’s “expressed confusion [and] his public mischaracterisation of the program,” he was banned from “using, displaying, referencing or associating himself” with the Miss Universe brand.

Following on the heels of Harfouch’s resignation came that of another judge, French football manager and former professional player, Claude Makélélé, also via Instagram. He said it was due to “unforeseen personal reasons” and noted that it was a “difficult decision”.

“The platform represents empowerment, diversity, and excellence — values I have always championed throughout my career. I sincerely apologise to the organisation, the contestants, and everyone involved, and I hope to be able to contribute in the future under better circumstances,” he wrote.

Additionally, PEOPLE magazine on Wednesday ran a headline stated that ‘Miss Universe Selection Committee President Becomes Third Judge to Drop Out of Pageant Days Before Event’. It cited Harfouch as the source and noted, however, that the Miss Universe Organization had not responded to a request for a comment.

The resignations follow a brouhaha two weeks ago when the pageant’s vice president for Asia and Oceania, Nawat Itsaragrisil, publicly chastised Miss Mexico 2025 Fátima Bosch for not taking part in activities to promote Thailand during the live-streamed sash ceremony.

In footage viewed on the official Miss Universe Thailand Facebook page, Itsaragrisil instructed Bosch to stand and “explain herself.” Bosch’s response, that she did not want to be reprimanded in front of the other contestants, was cut short by Itsaragrisil, who told her, “I didn’t give you the opportunity to talk... I’m still talking, listen!”

Following a brief back-and-forth between the two, Itsaragrisil ordered security to remove Bosch. In solidarity with Bosch, several queens, including reigning titleholder Victoria Theilvig, got out of their seats and walked out of the room. Miss Universe owner Raúl Rocha said that Itsaragrisil’s conduct was unacceptable and that his role in official Miss Universe activities would be restricted. Itsaragrisil apologised the following day.

This year’s contest is scheduled to conclude on Friday at Impact Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi, Thailand.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com