He botched the ending last year. Now Steve Harvey is back to host Miss Universe again

It was a gaffe for the ages, but it didn’t cost Steve Harvey his job.

On live television last December, Harvey, the host of the Miss Universe pageant, announced that Miss Colombia had won the the crown for 2015.

The music blared. Ariadna Gutierrez-Arevalo cried and waved her country’s flag. She received the Miss Universe sash, a bouquet of flowers and a crown.

But wait a second. Harvey reappeared on the stage.

“OK folks. I have to apologize,” he said sheepishly. “The first runner-up is Colombia. Miss Universe 2015 is Philippines.”

Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach eventually got the sash, the crown and the title.

After the event, Harvey said there was a mix-up between the teleprompter and the card.

“Did I make a mistake? Yes I did, wholeheartedly,” he said on “The Steve Harvey Morning Show.” “... I’m not in the finger-pointing business and rolling people under the bus. So, I did what I was trained to do by my father ... You made a mistake and you own up to it. And I tried to fix it, I tried to fix it right there.”

The organizers of the Miss Universe contest are not holding his attention-getting blunder against Harvey, a comedian, author and radio and television host. He’s been invited back to host the 2016 event on Jan. 29. It will air on FOX.

Harvey’s co-host is model and fashion designer Ashley Graham.

Hopefully this year’s event goes off without a hitch.

This story was originally published December 14, 2016 at 7:15 PM with the headline "He botched the ending last year. Now Steve Harvey is back to host Miss Universe again."