Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch has officially been crowned the new Miss Universe in the highly coveted 2025 beauty pageant.
On Friday, November 21, the 25-year-old contestant bested 120 others for the title in one of the most scandalous pageant seasons of all time.
Her win has sparked a wave of mixed reactions online, with some celebrating her achievement while others expressed displeasure in light of recent controversies.
“The biggest cooking show in pageant history,” mocked one user online.
Fátima Bosch was crowned this year’s winner by the reigning queen, Victoria Theilvig of Denmark
Miss Universe, often dubbed the ‘Super Bowl of beauty pageants,’ draws millions of viewers each year.
Thailand’s Praveenar Singh placed as first runner-up, while Venezuela’s Vanessa Pulgarin claimed second runner-up.
The Philippines’ Ahtisa Manalo finished as third runner-up, and Côte d’Ivoire’s Olivia Yacé placed fourth.
Earlier, the newly crowned Fátima Bosch had walked out of a pre-pageant event following controversial comments by an official from this year’s host nation, Thailand.
The 2025 Miss Universe pageant was rocked by multiple controversies, from contestants walking out to officials resigning
Several other contestants also left the event after Thailand’s pageant director, Nawat Itsaragrisil, publicly berated Bosch in front of dozens of participants for not posting promotional content on her social media.
Multiple videos from the event captured the director threatening to disqualify anyone who supported her.
Following the incident, two judges resigned, with one accusing the organizers of rigging the competition.
Social media users flooded platforms, with some expressing support for Fátima while others labeled her win “unfair”
Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouch announced his resignation on Instagram, claiming that the finalists had already been pre-selected by the eight-member jury ahead of the big night.
However, on Tuesday, November 18, the Miss Universe Organization released a statement refuting Mr. Harfouch’s claims, stating that “no external group has been authorised to evaluate delegates or select finalists.”
Shortly after, French football manager Claude Makélélé also stepped down, citing “unforeseen personal reasons.”
Supporters flooded social media, celebrating Bosch’s win and praising her “power move” in standing up for herself and fellow contestants.
One user wrote, “I think Mexico won because she stood up to that freaking bully of a man. That took courage and dignity, which are remarkable qualities of a role model for women. In this case, I’m glad she was chosen to represent Miss Universe.”
The Thai director, Nawat Itsaragrisil, allegedly called Fátima a “dumbhead” in now-viral videos showing him publicly berating her
Another added, “What I loved most about her was that she never left; she always raised her voice!”
One user remarked, “Sorry, she only won because of the controversy. Of course she’s beautiful, but not deserving.”
“I thought they were going to take her out of the contest, and see, she raised her voice, her hand didn’t shake, and now she’s the winner!!!”
However, critics were quick to weigh in, claiming Bosch only won because of her confrontation with the Thai director.
One user remarked, “Sorry, she only won because of the controversy. Of course she’s beautiful, but not deserving.”
Another added, “Main ingredients in the pageants now is to make a drama scene a drama queen.”
Miss Universe, founded in the U.S., is one of the longest-running beauty pageants in the world
Apart from the contestants walking out of the pre-pageant event, Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado, sparked yet another controversy in the already heated discussion.
During an Instagram Live video about the incident, the former Miss Universe used a racist slur to describe Director Nawat, quickly upsetting viewers of the contest worldwide.
Despite all these scandals, Miss Universe remains one of the longest-running beauty pageants, having been founded in 1952.
Next year’s contest will take place in Puerto Rico.
“Now everything that causes controversy is what prevails, Lets be honest… it was given to her after the whole incident,” wrote one disappointed user
