After a video of Miss Universe director Nawat Itsaragrisil yelling at Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch went viral, the organization took swift action — but it appears to be business as usual.
Miss Universe president Raul Rocha posted a six-minute speech to Instagram on November 4, the day of Itsaragrisil and Bosch’s confrontation, and said the director had committed a “serious abuse.”
“I have restricted Nawat’s participation in the events that are part of the 74th Miss Universe competition, limiting it as much as possible or eliminating it entirely,” Rocha said.
Despite these statements, Itsaragrisil has been photographed at numerous Miss Universe events in the lead-up to the crowning, which will stream in the US on Peacock at 8 p.m. on Thursday. On the eve of the finals, Itsaragrisil even posted pictures on Instagram that show him smiling and posing with Rocha.
Miss Universe and Itsaragrisil did not respond to requests for comment.
A confrontation heard around the world
Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP
Itsaragrisil is the director of Miss Thailand and the host for the 74th annual Miss Universe. He was holding a meeting with the Miss Universe contestants on the first day of the pageant when he got into a heated argument with Bosch, accusing her of not participating in a sponsorship event.
During the exchange, captured on Miss Universe Thailand’s Facebook livestream, Itsaragrisil criticized Miss Mexico’s team before appearing to tell Bosch: “If you listen to your director, you’re a dumbhead.”
Itsaragrisil, who has a history of shaming pageant contestants, later told reporters that the word he had used was “damage.”
“I have a voice,” Bosch told Itsaragrisil at one point during their argument. “You are not respecting me as a woman.”
Itsaragrisil then tried to call security on Bosch, prompting multiple Miss Universe contestants — as well as Miss Universe 2024 Victoria Kjær Theilvig — to walk out of the room in protest.
Miss Universe responds
Courtesy of Miss Universe
Rocha didn’t hold back in his video statement, saying that the organization planned to take corporate and legal actions “as a result of the malicious acts committed by Nawat.”
“I will not allow the values of respect and dignity toward women to be violated,” Rocha added.
Rocha said he had also instructed Miss Universe CEO Mario Búcaro to “travel immediately to Thailand and take control” of the pageant because he no longer had trust in Itsaragrisil.
Then, turning his attention to the contestants, Rocha said, “None of you should ever allow incidents like this to happen in your life, no matter who they come from. We must always defend this principle.”
A tearful Itsaragrisil apologized during a press conference the following day, telling reporters: “I am human. I didn’t want to do anything like that.”
Is it business as usual?
Courtesy of Miss Universe
Despite Rocha’s comments, photographs show that Itsaragrisil has been present at a number of the pageant’s main events.
He was pictured at the Miss Universe swimsuit fashion show on November 14, posing alongside Búcaro and Theilvig. The following night, Itsaragrisil was seen in photographs attending a gala dinner, being snapped with Miss Universe contestants and leadership. He was also photographed standing onstage with Búcaro as the CEO gave a speech. Itsaragrisil also attended the November 19 national costume contest and preliminary competition, where he posted the pictures of himself and Rocha on Instagram.
Omar Harfouch, who was one of the original judges for the Miss Universe 2025 pageant, told Business Insider that he helped reconcile Itsaragrisil and Rocha.
Courtesy of Miss Universe
“I reached out to both Raul and Nawat with the idea that unity between pageant leaders could only strengthen the global pageant community,” he said. “I offered to mediate a respectful meeting. We sat together, shared ideas, and I believed, for a moment, that bridges were being rebuilt.”
Harfouch posted a video of Itsaragrisil and Rocha’s reunion on Instagram on November 17. The next day, he dropped out as a judge, alleging that the organization had carried out a “secret vote” to select the top 30 by “individuals who are not official members of the jury, myself included.”
Miss Universe responded in a statement shared on its Instagram on November 18, saying Harfouch was confused by the organization’s recent announcement of a selection committee for the pageant’s “Beyond the Crown Program,” which it described as an “independent social impact initiative” that was designed to promote the contestants’ charitable causes.
Amid all the chaos, there are still 120 women hoping to become the next Miss Universe. After weeks of competition, one of them will finally be crowned Thursday night.
