If your pageant knowledge can be boiled down to Jen Hawkins and Sandra Bullock’s iconic 2000 film, Miss Congeniality, you are not alone. In fact, before this morning, I was right there with you. But when news broke that contestants had staged a mass walk-out at this year’s event, my interest was immediately piqued.
In a video posted to social media, the women, who are unmistakable thanks to their sashes, are seen walking out of what looks like a holding room behind the scenes of the competition. So, if that has also piqued your interest, I’m recapping exactly what happened below.
Why Did The 2025 Miss Universe Contestants Stage A Walkout?
In a video that is still available to watch on Miss Thailand’s Facebook page, the pageant director Nawat Itsaragrisil is seen standing in front of the seated contestants while speaking about the host country, Thailand. Specifically, he spoke about the importance of promoting Thailand and then singles out one woman for apparently not doing so.
Miss Mexico, Fátima Bosch, 25, is then accused of refusing to participate in a group photo shoot that was to be used on social media as a promotional post about Thailand being the host of Miss Universe. In the video (around the 15-minute mark, if you want to look it up), he is shown pointing his finger and receiving questions from the women.
“You don’t like to post everything because your director from Mexico ordered you to not pay any attention, to post about the host country? If you follow the orders from your national director, you are a dumb,” Itsaragrisil said, per The Independent. Then, when Bosch tried to respond to his comments, he cut her off and reportedly said, “I didn’t hear you asking to talk.” Bosch is then heard saying that she has “a voice” and expressed that Itsaragrisil was not “respecting me as a woman”.
It’s at this point in the video that the other woman start to gasp and many of them walked out in protest, including 2024 Miss Universe winner Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark.
In an interview following the incident, Bosch was firm in her stance on the incident. “We’re in the 21st century, and I’m not a doll to be made up, styled, and have my clothes changed,” she said in a video posted to Instagram. “I came here to be a voice for all the women and all the girls who fight for causes and to tell my country that I’m completely committed to that.”
Who Is Nawat Itsaragrisil?
Or perhaps the better question is, who does Nawat Itsaragrisil think he is? Well, predictably, a little bit of digging turned up some past heinous comments by the popular Thai media personality. In 2016, it was reported that he body-shamed then Miss Iceland, Arna Ýr Jónsdóttir, telling her to “stop eating breakfast” and suggesting she “eat just salad for lunch”. In May 2025, he also body-shamed Miss Grand International winner Rachel Gupta.
Has Miss Universe Responded?
The pageant has responded, with Miss Universe Organisation president Raúl Rocha Cantú releasing a statement on Instagram following the incident. “I would like to make it clear my great indignation toward Nawat for the public aggression he committed against Fátima Bosch, whom he humiliated, insulted, and he showed a lack of respect, in addition to the serious abuse of having called security to intimidate a defenseless woman, trying to silence and exclude her,” he said. The caption of the post reads, “I will not allow the values of respect and dignity of women to be violated”.
Itsaragrisil has since apologised to “everyone”.
Angela Law
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