Miss Universe 2025 in Chaos as Racism Allegations, Arrest Warrants and Walkouts Erupt
The Miss Universe pageant is supposed to be a celebration of beauty, but this year things turned ugly as the competition was hit with numerous scandals. Contestants and judges stepped down, an executive was dismissed for alleged name calling, and a co-owner has an arrest warrant out for her. The biggest drama took place after Estonia's Brigitta Schaback and Côte d’Ivoire's Olivia Yace stepped down from their titles, both citing that the pageant didn't align with their values anymore, causing many fans to question what truly happened. President Raúl Rocha is also reportedly looking to ditch his stake in the pageant, especially after Yace stepped down following comments from him. The disastrous competition, which took place on November 21, has called the pageant's future into question, and experts tell the Daily Mail that without serious changes, Miss Universe could cease to exist. “Women don’t walk away from dream opportunities unless something is fundamentally wrong,” Lauren Taylor, who does PR for many beauty queens, told the Daily Mail. ‘Moments like these can impact how people view the brand’s longevity and stability. I do think this edition of the competition will go down in history, and not necessarily for the reasons the organization would have hoped.’ Here, the Daily Mail takes a deep-dive into all the scandals plaguing the 2025 Miss Universe competition, and what the future of the once-prestigious pageant might be.
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Two Contestants Step Down
Schaback was the first to step down, posting the official announcement on her Instagram on November 23. She cited her differences with National Director Natalie Korneitsik as her reason for parting. A day later, Yace, who held the title for Miss Universe Africa and Oceania, said she would also be stepping away from her role. She ultimately placed fourth in the competition and many believe she should have been the winner. “To fully reach my potential, I must remain firmly anchored in my values [and] guiding principles that pave the way toward excellence,” she wrote on Instagram on November 24. On Tuesday, Rocha took to a livestream seemingly to discuss why Yace didn't win, citing visa complications as she would need 175 visas to travel around as Miss Universe. He allegedly said she would have had to reign from her apartment as her travel access would have limited. “With the visa restrictions her passport presents, it would have been extremely challenging for her to meet the demands of the role,” he allegedly said, according to PrimeTimer. Miss Guadeloupe 2018, Ophély Mézino, questioned if Rocha had only let Yace compete to make the competition diverse. Estonia's Brigitta Schaback (left) was the first to step down. She is pictured with Miss Spain Andrea Valero. A day later, Côte d’Ivoire's Olivia Yace also removed herself from any association with Miss Universe. Schaback cited differences with the pageants National Director Natalie Korneitsik (pictured). “Did you steal the money of my Afro-Caribbean girls? Did you let them compete knowing they would never win this competition? Did you let them participate just to speak about diversity and inclusion?” she wrote on an Instagram Story.
Contested Departures and the Controversies Around Yace
Mukoko, and pageant fans alike were left wondering ‘why’ titleholders would walk away after such fierce competition. “One or two isolated cases over a long period might not be damaging, but when multiple women begin giving up what many would consider a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it definitely becomes concerning,” Mukoko told the Daily Mail. “In pageantry, a crown represents trust - trust in the organization, in the mission, and in the experience promised to the contestants. So when women voluntarily walk away, it signals that something isn’t aligning behind the scenes.” Mukoko has never relinquished a title, but is sympathetic toward Yace and Schaback as she has a “few [titles] I choose not to use anymore because I no longer feel the direction of the organization reflects my values.” For his part, Itsaragrisil denied calling Bosch a “dummy,” he told the Daily Mail. He claimed he said “damage.” Fátima Bosch ultimately went on to win the competition after the outburst.
Contestant Injured on Stage
Miss Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, was rushed to the hospital after falling off the stage during the preliminary round of the pageant. She had to be carried away on a stretcher, but did not sustain life-threatening injuries.
Judges Exit and the Stakes Rise
Lebanese-French businessman, Omar Harfouch, and French soccer star, Claude Makélélé, both stepped down as judges days before the pageant. Makélélé did not provide a reason for his departure. Harfouch, however, claimed Rocha 'personally asked' him a week before the finale and encouraged him not to vote for certain countries, including 'all African nations, several Asian countries (including Lebanon), and some European nations, like Russia, Belarus, and Serbia - claiming they would face difficulties obtaining visas,' he wrote on Instagram. 'As for me, Omar Harfouch, I consider the exclusion of Miss Côte d’Ivoire [Yace] from the crown solely because she might face visa issues - and more importantly, because she is African - not only discriminatory, but purely racist. 'He [Rocha] also added that I should remember that Miss Universe 2025 would be traveling with him on his private jet for the entire year.' In a separate post, he claimed Rocha 'illegally and unjustly' eliminated 106 countries from the competition. The Daily Mail has reached out to Miss Universe for comment. President Raúl Rocha is also reportedly looking to ditch his stake in the pageant, telling a Mexican journalist: 'I\'m so fed up' Co-Owner Jakkaphong 'Anne' Jakrajutatip (pictured with the 2022 winner) has an arrest warrant out for her after not appearing in court for an unrelated fraud case.
Selloffs, Arrest Warrants and a Questioned Future
Rocha owns a 50 percent share in the Miss Universe pageant, but it looks like he's now trying to offload it in the wake of the scandals. He told Mexican journalist Adela Micha that he is 'looking for someone to pass [his stake] on to.' 'It's just that I'm so fed up. I'm so fed up with all the talk. I don't lend myself to that kind of thing,' he told Micha. 'Everyone wants to have an opinion.' Rocha has only been the president since January 2024. He became the co-owner of the pageant after Jakkaphong 'Anne' Jakrajutatip sold his company a 50 percent stake in 2023. Jakrajutatip, who bought the pageant for $20million in 2022, previously had an arrest warrant out for her in her home country of Thailand after she failed to show up to court for an unrelated fraud case. The transgender businesswoman was labeled a flight risk and did not appear at this year's Miss Universe competition, which was held in Bangkok, the same city her court case is being held in. LaToya Evans, who worked with late Miss USA winner Cheslie Kryst, agreed that the 'world of pageantry has dramatically changed over the years'. 'Contestants have become more vocal and the culture around both women and pageants have changed,' she told the Daily Mail. Cherelle Mukoko, who has previously won Miss Jamaica UK and Miss Universe London, told the Daily Mail the pageant needed to majorly change internally for the competition to continue. LaToya Evans, who worked with late Miss USA winner Cheslie Kryst, said the industry has changed dramatically over the years, saying the days of a small town girl finding stardom at a pageant is 'long gone'. 'Women don’t walk away from dream opportunities unless something is fundamentally wrong,' Lauren Taylor, who does PR for many beauty queens, told the Daily Mail. Contestants from decades prior were 'heavily influenced by established pageant owners and committees,' whereas nowadays, participants can build their own platform on social media, she said. 'Ultimately, the world of small town young women only being discovered because of a beauty contest that allowed them to leave their hometown for the very first time is long gone,' she said. 'These days, if you find a young woman in a pageant, they also genuinely enjoy competing and love the experience they get from it, not because they are looking to catapult to stardom.' Evans also said contestants are also choosing themselves as they are more aware of the toll it takes to be on top. Taylor agreed, she added: 'Pageantry is at a crossroads. It can either double down on outdated practices, or rebrand into something that genuinely uplifts women. The contestants are not the problem. The women stepping down are not "dramatic" or "ungrateful." They are signaling to the public that something isn’t right.'
