Miss Universe 2025 ended with Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch taking the crown, but her victory quickly spiraled into the most divisive moment of this year’s competition.
Following her win, fans flooded social media with accusations of favoritism, unfair scoring, and confusion over her final Q&A performance. The controversy surrounding the 2025 Miss Universe Pageant comes amid a former judge’s allegations that this year’s competition has been less than fair.
Highlights
- Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch’s win at the 2025 Miss Universe pageant sparked intense backlash online.
- A former judge resigned days before the competition, alleging an “impromptu jury” and conflicts of interest.
- The 2025 competition had already been overshadowed by a viral confrontation in Thailand involving Bosch.
Fans questioned Miss Mexico’s win as criticism spread online
Image credits: Mohan Raj/Getty Images
Fátima Bosch entered the weekend celebrating what should have been a triumphant moment. On Friday, she reflected on her win in an Instagram post.
“Today I reaffirmed that what God has destined for you, neither envy stops it, nor destiny foils it, nor luck changes it,” she wrote in Spanish. “Long live Christ the King.”
Image credits: ABS-CBN Entertainment
Bosch also posted a video during her first day as Miss Universe, according to Entertainment Weekly. “First day at work,” she wrote, posting a photo of herself smiling with her crown.
But while Miss Mexico embraced her new role, a wave of frustration swept across social media.
One viewer posted a video of Bosch stumbling through the competition’s Q&A portion on X, writing, “THIS IS YOUR MISS UNIVERSE 2025? WHAT A SHAME.” The post has amassed 1.5 million views.
Others didn’t hold back. “She was answering her own question rather than the judges,” one person wrote. Another added, “Not deserving at all!”
Some comments went even further, criticizing the organization itself. “She’s now officially a symbol of corruption and politics of this once prestigious pageant,” one netizen claimed.
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Another wrote, “Mexico, if you look at her performance, she doesn't even deserve to be in the top 5 ...all pre-planned politics involved here.”
Still, Bosch had supporters who pushed back against the negativity. “She was and is the best!!, Incomparable beauty, intelligence, and strength. Viva Mexico,” one fan cheered.
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Another urged perspective. “It’s not her first language, so it is expected that the English native speakers will do better. The final Q&As don’t decide the winner; they just add to the tally,” the commenter argued.
A former judge resigned days before the pageant, alleging serious misconduct among the 2025 Miss Universe judges
Image credits: Miss Universe Thailand/Facebook
Controversy surrounding the 2025 Miss Universe Pageant has been intensifying since composer Omar Harfouch, an official Miss Universe judge, resigned on November 18, just three days before the competition's finals, EW reported. What he posted on social media sent shockwaves through the pageant world.
Harfouch claimed he discovered that the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) had formed an “impromptu jury” to select 30 finalists from 136 countries before they even competed.
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He alleged that none of the official eight judges participated in the selection and that the results were being withheld.
He later wrote that the unapproved panel included “individuals with a significant potential conflict of interest due to some personal relationships with some of the Miss Universe contestants, including the person responsible for counting the votes and managing the results, which constitutes a further conflict of interest.”
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According to Harfouch, his concerns were dismissed. His breaking point reportedly came after speaking with CEO Raúl Rocha.
“After having a disrespectful conversation with (Miss Universe CEO) Raul Rocha about the lack of transparency in the Miss Universe voting process, I decided to resign from the jury and refuse to be part of this charade,” he said. “I will also not be playing the music composed for the event.”
After Bosch’s win, Harfouch escalated even further, posting, “Miss Mexico is a Fake winner. I, Omar Harfouch, declared yesterday exclusively on the American HBO, 24 hours before the Miss Universe final, that Miss Mexico would win, because Miss Universe owner Raúl Rocha is in business with Fatima Bosch’s father…
“They need her to win ‘because it will be good for our business,’ they said to me.”
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The MUO firmly rejected all of Harfouch’s claims, insisting that its processes remained “established, transparent, and supervised.” The organization said the independent committee Harfouch referenced was part of a separate social impact program. They concluded by acknowledging his resignation and banning him from associating with Miss Universe branding in any form.
The controversy rattled contestants, too. One anonymous delegate told PEOPLE, “This revelation came moments after we stepped off stage from our final rehearsal… It is heartbreaking.”
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"So many contestants have sacrificed their personal lives, left their jobs, and spent a year preparing for this moment. Some of us have fallen ill, been hospitalized, or pushed through exhaustion while receiving only three to four hours of sleep each night.
“We did this because we believed in the integrity of this organization and the mission they told us they stood for," the contestant added.
Miss Mexico’s win followed a tense pre-pageant confrontation in Thailand
Image credits: Mohan Raj/Getty Images
Well before finals week, Bosch had already been at the center of another viral controversy. On November 4, Thai TV personality and MUO executive Nawat Itsaragrisil berated her during a livestreamed event over promotional duties.
He interrupted her attempts to speak and, at one point, called her a “dummy.” Bosch and other contestants walked out in protest.
Bosch pushed back on the executive later on. “I have a voice,” she told him. “You are not respecting me as a woman.”
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She added, “Your director is not respectful: He called me dumb because he has problems with the organization… I think that’s not fair, because I am here. I do everything okay. I don’t mess with anyone.”
The backlash forced Itsaragrisil to apologize multiple times. MUO President Raúl Rocha eventually restricted his involvement, stating, “I will not allow the values of respect and dignity towards women to be violated.”
Netizens shared their thoughts on Fatima Bosch’s 2025 Miss Universe win on social media
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