Unpacking the Miss Universe Walkout Drama
Something unsettling is going on at Miss Universe, the international pageant once affiliated with Donald Trump. On Tuesday, Miss Mexico 2025 Fátima Bosch walked out of the early stages of the competition along with several other contestants in an incident that was captured on a Facebook livestream. The women, who’d gathered in Thailand earlier this week to kick off registration, vowed to support Bosch after a pageant executive disparaged her during the livestream. As of Thursday, the contestants have all resumed their participation, and the show will culminate in the 74th Annual Miss Universe Pageant on November 21. Here’s what’s going on.
The controversy stems from a Facebook livestream that was meant to show fans behind-the-scenes footage of a sashing ceremony. Apparently, it also happened to capture Thailand executive Nawat Itsaragrisil chastising Bosch for not posting content from a sponsored photo shoot intended to promote Thailand’s involvement in the Miss Universe pageant. In the video, Itsaragrisil can be heard singling out Miss Mexico, reminding the women that they must “promote the host country,” and warning: “Be careful. You are in Thailand. You are in a game.”
In the video, which continued to stream during the incident and, as of Thursday morning, is still up on the organization’s Facebook page, Itsaragrisil purported that Bosch had been ordered by Mexico’s pageant director not to post about the shoot and claimed to have received a “report” about her unwillingness to play ball. (He did not explain where the report came from, and it’s unclear what exactly his disagreement with Mexico’s pageant director is.) Bosch stood up in the crowd and attempted to deny the claims, but Itsaragrisil interrupted, saying her pageant director had already been kicked out of the country. “He’s a dummy,” Itsaragrisil said. “But for the queen, if you follow the order of your national director, you’re a dummy.”
Bosch again tried to speak, but Itsaragrisil spoke over her and called for “security” as the other contestants began to protest. “Why are you still talking?” he asked her. “Because I have a voice,” Bosch stated. “You are not respecting me as a woman.” She appeared to walk out of the room on her own, and a handful of contestants jumped to their feet to follow her out. With the feed still going, Itsaragrisil then threatened that anyone who left the room would be barred from competing in the pageant.
Following the heated exchange, Bosch told fans that Thailand’s director was “not respectful” because he called her “dumb.” “I think that’s not fair because I am here. I do everything okay. I don’t mess with anyone. I just try to be kind,” she said in a video posted to Instagram by pageantry_com. “I think that the world needs to see this because we are empowered women, and this is a platform for our voice.”
Itsaragrisil also apologized late Tuesday in a separate video posted to Instagram. “If anyone [was] feeling not good, if anyone [was] not comfortable …. I do apologize for everyone,” he said.
In a filmed press conference posted to the Miss Universe Facebook page, also on Tuesday, Miss Universe president and co-owner Raul Rocha Cantu condemned Itsaragrisil’s actions, expressing “solidarity and support” for the contestants. “I will not allow the values of respect and dignity toward women to be violated,” Rocha said. “Unfortunately, Nawat has forgotten the true meaning of what it means to be a genuine host.”
“My great indignation to Itsaragrisil for the public aggression he committed against Fátima Bosch, whom he humiliated, insulted and showed a lack of respect, in addition to the serious abuse of having called security to intimidate a defenseless woman,” he added. “He tried to silence her and exclude her.”
Pageants like Miss Universe and the more scholarship-focused Miss America have long been rife with mistreatment, often from the contestants’ directors and CEOs. But it appears Bosch is getting the last word in the matter — she’ll continue on in the competition along with her fellow contestants, who all participated in the Welcome Ceremony with renewed support from fans across TikTok. The Miss Universe organization has also said a committee of delegates is traveling to Thailand to ensure a “secure and professional environment” going forward.
“I just want to tell everyone in my country, ‘Here I am,’” Bosch said in another interview Tuesday. “I’m not afraid to speak out; my voice is stronger than ever.”
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