The Miss Universe Thailand director wiped away tears, as one apology was not enoughA tearful apology campaign was not enough to stem the tide of criticism, leading to the dismissal of Miss Universe Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil. His departure comes after his insult-laden argument with Miss Mexico, Fátima Bosch, whom he called “stupid,” forced him into a desperate and ultimately futile series of mea culpas, including a personal address to the entire contestant pool.
The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) has taken decisive action following the controversy surrounding the public humiliation of Mexican contestant Fátima Bosch by the National Director of Miss Universe Thailand, Nawat Itsaragrisil, while users online and public figures are actively adding to the conversation on the incident showing solidarity to Miss Mexico, and the Thai executive has come out to apologize.
Fátima Bosch, representante de México en Miss Universo.© Provider Instagram
The president of the pageant, Raúl Rocha, announced a series of sanctions, including restricting and almost completely excluding Itsaragrisil from the events of the 74th pageant.
The decision was communicated on Tuesday through a video posted on Miss Universe’s social media platforms. In it, Rocha, speaking in Spanish with English subtitles, left no questions about his position.
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‘Great indignation’
Rocha began his statement by expressing solidarity with the 122 delegates, before criticizing Nawat’s actions.
“I will not allow the values of respect and dignity towards women to be violated,” he said.
The president expressed feeling “great indignation towards Nawat for the public aggression he committed against Fátima Bosch, Miss Universe Mexico, whom he humiliated, insulted, and he showed lack of respect to.” According to Rocha, the Thai director committed a “serious abuse by calling security to intimidate a defenseless woman.” With a direct and unequivocal message, he declared, “Nawat, you need to stop.”
‘I am human’
On his end, Itsaragrisil apologized publicly.
The Thai executive appeared Nov. 5 at a press conference crying and expressing remorse about his actions.
“I am human. I didn’t want to do anything like that,” he said to the press.
The national Thai director also apologized to the delegates directly during a ceremony that happened on the same day.
“I want to take this opportunity to say something about something that’s happened. Because I am a human,” Itsaragrisil said. “I think you must understand the pressure is a lot, I am a human sometimes. I cannot control. By the way, I have not intend to hurt anyone.”
“I have to apologize for the delegates,” he said, turning to face the participants while bowing at them.
Itsaragrisil added that he also apologized to Miss Universe’s followers across the globe and anyone who was affected or felt uncomfortable by the situation.
©Mark Henle/The Republic
Immediate sanctions and a break with the host organization.
Rocha detailed the immediate actions taken by the central organization:
Postponement of events: The sash presentation ceremony was postponed “to avoid any interaction with Nawat.”
Restriction of Itsaragrisil’s participation: “I have restricted Nawat’s participation in the events that are part of the 74th Miss Universe competition, limiting it as much as possible or eliminating it entirely.”
Corporate and legal measures: He instructed MUO CEO Mario Bucaro to release a statement on behalf of the organization detailing “all legal actions they will undertake as a result of the malicious acts committed by Nawat”.
On-the-ground intervention: A delegation of executives and diplomatic experts from MUO will travel to Thailand to take control of the situation and event.
Additionally, Rocha announced a disassociation with the local host organization, Miss Grand International (MGI): “We had, unfortunately, trusted MGI… and that trust has failed under the unfortunate leadership of Nawat.” And she went even further: “At Miss Universe, the values of respect and dignity for women are neither negotiable, and we differ strongly from MGI.”
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A strong response following the wave of criticism
Rocha’s statement is the strongest response yet after the incident sparked an uproar on social media. Thousands are expressing on social media that MUO’s decision marks a turning point in beauty pageants and that the situation conveys a clear message of zero tolerance for abuse and disrespect.
Previously, Miss Universe Mexico had called the events “unacceptable,” and as her declarations and footage of the incident unfolded, the hashtag #FátimaBosch became a global trending topic.
Along with online users, figures like Sheynnis Palacios, Miss Universe 2023, and Ximena Navarrete, former Mexican contestant of the pageant and Miss Universe 2010, showed their support for Bosch.
Navarrete took this as an opportunity to answer a question she constantly gets asked, linking it to Bosch’s recent experience: why is she no longer involved with the Miss Universe pageant?
“Many people have questioned me about why I haven’t been present in recent years, and that’s because I don’t see things being done properly.”
She added that she hoped for Miss Universe to “be a respectful, elegant platform of inspiration and dreams… of empowered women with a voice, as it was many years ago.”
Lupita Jones, Miss Universe 1991 and former director of Miss Universe Mexico, and Alicia Machado, Miss Universe 1996, also responded to the controversy.
“These events represent the women of their time, of their era,” Jones wrote on an Instagram post. “It is not we women who adapt to what a competition defines; the competitions adapt to what we want to communicate, which is why they have evolved.”
Lina Luaces, Miss Universe Cuba 2025, and her mother Lili Estefan, popularly known for her participation as a host in Univision’s El Gordo y La Flaca talk show, have also shown support for the Mexican contestant. Estefan, who was present during Bosch’s first declarations to the press after the incident, yelled “¡Bravo Fátima, bravo!”.
The following day, the TV personality’s daughter posted to her Instagram story a video with an audio playing in the background that pronounced in Spanish, “what God has destined for you, neither envy can stop, nor fate can thwart, nor luck can change,” tagging her Mexican co-participant.
Mexican signer Gloria Trevi also joined the conversation by posting a photo of Bosch on her Instagram accompanying it with a four-paragraph caption praising the Mexican contestant for her “authenticity” and “braveness.”
“I know what it’s like to be in the spotlight and feel the weight of criticism. That’s why, when I see someone like @fatimaboschfdz speaking out, I can only applaud her courage,” she wrote.
“Mexicans like you are inspiring, because you remind us that whoever bows their head to injustice loses the crown of their dignity; we must have the ability to say ‘enough’ when something is not right,” she concluded.
Fátima Bosch stated that she will remain in the competition, and the rest of the contestants are also preparing for the final coronation on Nov. 21.
