New scandal erupts at Miss Universe 2025

A member of the judging panel, musician and producer Omar Harfouch, announced his resignation, citing an alleged “secret vote” to pre-select the Top 30 finalists.

“Two days before the final, a secret vote was held to pre-select 30 contestants out of the 136. This vote was carried out by individuals who are not official members of the jury, myself included,” Harfouch wrote on Instagram.

According to him, the “unofficial jury” included individuals with personal connections to some contestants, which he described as a serious conflict of interest.

In addition to Harfouch, former professional football player and coach Claude Makélélé also withdrew from the judging panel, citing “unforeseen personal reasons.”

In response, the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) issued an official statement rejecting the accusations:

“The Miss Universe Organization firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols.”

The situation unfolded against the backdrop of a previous conflict: Thailand’s pageant director Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly insulted Miss Mexico, Fátima Bosch, calling her “dumbhead” during a sash-presentation event. The incident triggered a protest, and several contestants, including the reigning Miss Universe, walked out of the venue in response.