Several Miss Universe contestants staged a walkout to protest the treatment meted out to a fellow contestant by an organiser. The powerful protest was sparked when an official from the Miss Universe host nation Thailand publicly berated Miss Mexico, Fatima Bosch, during a pre-pageant ceremony.
Who was the official?
Nawat Itsaragrisil, an executive director of Miss Universe Organization, has been accused of toxic behaviour after he publicly berated Miss Mexico in a tense confrontation. Itsaragrisil is a 60-year-old Thai businessman who is in charge of overseeing the pageant in his home country, The New York Post reported.
Why did the Miss Universe official berate Miss Mexico?
During a live-streamed sash ceremony on Tuesday, Itsaragrisil publicly called Miss Universe Mexico, Fatima Bosch, a “dumbhead”. He was apparently upset about her allegedly following her country director’s advice not to post materials promoting the host country, Thailand.
What did he say?
Nawat Itsaragrisil appeared to lose his temper during the annual sash ceremony as he accused some Miss Universe contestants of not following rules. The contestants had apparently declined to take part in a sponsorship shoot.
Itsaragrisil asked Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch to stand up and berated her for not taking part in the social media shoot, saying she had no “respect”.
{{/usCountry}}Itsaragrisil asked Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch to stand up and berated her for not taking part in the social media shoot, saying she had no “respect”.
{{/usCountry}}“Mexico, where are you? He asked. “I heard you’re not going to support everything about Thailand, is that true?”
The Thai businessman accused Bosch of listening to her country’s officials rather than following Miss Universe rules. The exchange lasted four minutes, during which he called her a “dumbhead”.
When Bosch stood up to defend herself, he said: “I still keep talking to everybody, why you still stand up to talk to me?”
“Because I have a voice. You are not respecting me as a woman,” Bosch replied, promoting Itsaragrisil to call security. Angered by his outburst, several Miss Universe contestants staged a walkout.
Itsaragrisil apologises in tears
Itsaragrisil apologised in a press conference during which he broke down and wiped away tears.
“I want to apologize to everyone. I had no idea how big this issue would become,” he said, looking visibly emotional.
He also denied calling Bosch a “dumbhead”, claiming he said that she had caused “damage”.