After a drama-filled competition, Miss Mexico has been crowned the new Miss Universe.
Fátima Bosch, 25, was named the winner of the 74th annual Miss Universe competition in Bangkok on Friday morning local time (Thursday night in the US). She was crowned by Miss Universe 2024 Victoria Kjær Theilvig, the first woman from Denmark to win the title.
In second place was Miss Thailand, followed by Miss Venezuela and Miss Philippines.
Bosch’s crowning comes after weeks of controversy surrounding the Miss Universe competition, which kicked off with some drama of her own.
On November 4, the very first day of the pageant, Miss Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil, who hosted Miss Universe 2025, got into an argument with Bosch over a sponsorship event. Their exchange was caught on the Miss Thailand Facebook livestream and quickly went viral.
Miss Universe president Raul Rocha announced on the same day that he would restrict Itsaragrisil from attending future Miss Universe 2025 events. However, the director was photographed at many of the pageant’s events leading up to the crowning. He was also thanked during the live finals.
Just days before the Miss Universe finals, composer Omar Harfouch also dropped out as a judge, alleging that the organization had pre-selected the top 30 contestants through a “secret vote” that did not involve the official judges.
“I felt honored to be invited as an official judge, and I approached it with full integrity and artistic dedication,” he told Business Insider. “But that changed when I discovered the existence of a parallel selection committee acting independently from the official jury. That moment shifted everything — from trust to credibility.”
In an Instagram statement shared on November 18, the Miss Universe Organization said Harfouch was confused by the organization’s use of a separate selection committee for the pageant’s “Beyond the Crown Program,” which celebrates the contestants’ charities.
“The Miss Universe Organization clarifies that this eight-person committee operates entirely independently from the official Miss Universe judging panel,” the statement said. “This committee does not evaluate the performance of the delegates during the 74th Miss Universe competition, nor do its decisions grant any additional points toward the final results.”
The Miss Universe Organization did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Hours after Harfouch resigned, Claude Makélélé — a former professional French soccer player — said he could no longer serve as a judge for the Miss Universe finals “due to unforeseen personal reasons.”
It remains to be seen if the chaos surrounding the Miss Universe competition will settle, but it now has a new queen to take the lead.
Bosch, the first Miss Mexico from Tabasco, has dedicated her career to sustainable fashion. She also volunteers to help children with cancer and partners with Corazón Migrante and Ruta Monarca on social initiatives to support migrants and environmental causes, according to her Miss Universe bio.
During the question round of the pageant, Bosch was asked what she thought the challenges of being a woman in the year 2025 were, and how she would use the title of Miss Universe to create a safe space for women around the world.
She said women, as well as Miss Universe titleholders, are here to “speak up” and “make change.”
“The brave ones that stand up are the ones that will make history,” she added.
She was also asked: “If you win the title of Miss Universe tonight, how would you use this platform to empower young girls?”
“As Miss Universe, I will say to them: ‘Believe in the power of your authenticity. Believe in yourself. Your dreams matter, your heart matters, and never let anyone make you doubt your worth,'” she said.
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