The glamour of the Miss Universe 2025 pageant dimmed this week as controversy erupted over remarks made by Miss Universe Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil - remarks that sparked outrage, walkouts, and calls for respect across the global pageant community.
During a rehearsal and sashing ceremony on Tuesday (Nov 4, 2025) in Bangkok, Nawat, 60, was caught on video reprimanding contestants for not promoting Thailand as the host nation. His confrontation with Miss Universe Mexico, Fatima Bosch, turned tense when he appeared to call her a “dumb head” for allegedly following her national director’s instructions instead of his. The clip went viral, igniting widespread criticism from fans and pageant officials alike.
Raul Rocha, president of the Miss Universe Organization (MUO), condemned Nawat’s conduct and announced that his participation in official events related to this year’s competition would be restricted. “Respect and dignity are core values of the Miss Universe platform,” Rocha stated, calling the incident “deeply disappointing.”
At the Miss Universe 2025 welcoming ceremony on Wednesday (Nov 5, 2025), Nawat publicly apologised, bowing before contestants while admitting he was under immense pressure. “I am human. Sometimes I cannot control myself,” he said. “I did not intend to harm anyone... If anyone isn’t comfortable with what has happened, I am so sorry.”
However, Nawat later defended himself at a press conference, insisting that his words were misunderstood. “I didn’t say ‘dumb head’ even one second. I said ‘damage’ ie. 'If she believed her national director, it’s ‘damage’,” he claimed, adding fuel to public skepticism.
In a cryptic Instagram post the following morning, Nawat wrote, “Freedom of speech is important, but if the voices are lies, it would not be called freedom of speech,” suggesting he felt misrepresented by social media narratives.
The controversy also drew solidarity from other contestants. Miss Universe Singapore Annika Sager took to Instagram, urging for “mutual respect” and “unity among women.” Her statement resonated globally: “We deserve to be uplifted, not undermined. Respect and empathy are the foundation of unity.”
Footage of the incident published by Khaosod English showed Bosch walking out of the room, joined by other contestants in protest.
In a subsequent post as reported in the The Independent, Bosch said, “No one has the right to silence us... If something costs you your dignity, you need to walk away.” The Miss Universe Mexico organisation backed her statement, calling the incident “unacceptable” and a “violation of professional integrity.”
Despite the uproar, Miss Universe Organization (MUO) confirmed that the 74th Miss Universe competition in Bangkok will proceed as scheduled on November 21, 2025. Still, the scandal has left a lasting stain on what is supposed to be a celebration of empowerment - a reminder that beauty without respect, no matter how dazzling, loses its shine.
By: Kpost
Information Source:
CnaLifestyle , TheIndependent KhaosodEnglish
Kpost (ckhorsk@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
