Miss Universe Judges Quit, Claim Pageant Rigged

Two Miss Universe judges have resigned just days before the annual beauty pageant, with one accusing organizers of rigging the selection process.

sarah

Nov 19, 2025 - 20:44

Miss Universe Judges Quit, Claim Pageant Rigged

Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouche, who announced his resignation from the eight-member jury on Instagram, alleged that an "unnecessary jury" had already selected the finalists before the competition in Thailand on Friday.

Hours later, French football manager Claude Makélélé also announced his withdrawal from the competition, citing "unforeseen personal reasons."

The resignations come two weeks after several Miss Universe contestants withdrew from a pre-competition event due to controversial comments made by an official from host Thailand.

"An unofficial jury has been formed to select 30 finalists from 136 participating countries, without the presence of any of the actual [eight] jury members, including myself," Mr. Harfouche wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday, saying he learned of the matter through social media.

He claimed the unofficial jury included "individuals with potential conflicts of interest due to personal relationships with some Miss Universe contestants."

Mr. Harfouche did not explain how this "unofficial jury" would work, or how it would overturn the official jury's decision.

The Miss Universe Organization issued a statement on Tuesday refuting Mr. Harfouche's claims, saying that "no outside group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists."

This suggests that Mr. Harfouche may have been referring to the Beyond the Crown program: a "social impact initiative" that operates independently of the Miss Universe pageant and has a separate selection committee.

The Miss Universe Organization announced the Beyond the Crown selection committee on Monday. In its statement on Tuesday, the organization said that Mr. Harfouche's allegations "misrepresented" the program.

Mr. Makelele, who also announced his resignation via Instagram, described it as a "difficult decision."

He wrote, "I have immense respect for Miss Universe. This platform represents empowerment, diversity, and excellence—values I have always supported throughout my career."

The pageant faced severe criticism earlier this month when its Thailand director, Nawat Itsaragrisil, publicly reprimanded Miss Mexico, Fátima Bosch, at an event held before the pageant for not posting promotional material on her social media platforms.

In a video that subsequently went viral, Ms. Bosch and several other contestants can be seen leaving the event, and some can be heard shouting at Mr. Nawat.

Mr. Nawat later claimed that some of his words were misunderstood – but his conduct nevertheless led to a strong reprimand from the Miss Universe Organization, which has since sent a delegation of international officials to take over the running of the competition.