President of Miss Universe condemns pageant official who offended Miss Mexico
The president and co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, Mexican businessman Raúl Rocha, condemned the verbal confrontation between Miss Universe Mexico, Fátima Bosch, and Thai pageant executive Nawat Itsaragrisil, calling the behavior “humiliating” and “disrespectful.”
The incident happened Nov. 3 during a preliminary meeting before the sash ceremony in Bangkok. According to video circulating on social media, Itsaragrisil berated Bosch for missing a sponsor photoshoot, calling her “stupid.” When Bosch pushed back, several contestants stood up and walked out in solidarity. Itsaragrisil, who owns several beauty pageants in Thailand, then ordered anyone who wished to remain in the competition to sit down, threatening the remaining contestants that if they leave they wouldn’t be allowed to compete.
“All those who want to continue in the competition, sit down,” he ordered, after calling “Security” to remove Bosch from the room.
Rocha responded the next day with a video statement on the Miss Universe social media accounts, saying he was outraged by the treatment of Bosch. He said Itsaragrisil tried to intimidate “a defenseless woman” and attempted to “silence and exclude her.”
“I want to make clear my great indignation and repudiation of Nawat for the public aggression against Fátima Bosch, whom he humiliated, insulted and disrespected, in addition to highlighting the great abuse of having called security to intimidate a defenseless woman, trying to silence and exclude her,” he said.
The video that captured Nawat’s berating of Bosch sparked a wave of support for Miss Mexico, including from the current Miss Universe, Dane Victoria Kjaer, and Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado, who recalled the bullying she endured during her reign from the contest’s then-owner, Donald Trump.
Nawat Itsaragrisil suspended from the Miss Universe 2025 pageant
Rocha said Itsaragrisil — who heads the Miss Grand International pageant and serves as Miss Universe’s vice president for Asia — had “forgotten what it means to be a true host.” He said Itsaragrisil’s role in this year’s contest has been restricted in this year’s competition and that the organization is considering corporate and legal action against his “malicious” behavior.
Nawat offered a public apology on Nov. 4 without mentioning Bosch: “If someone felt uncomfortable, if someone was affected, I apologized to each of those people.”
Rocha reaffirmed his unconditional support for the contestants and made clear he will not tolerate disrespect toward the delegates representing 120 countries.
“I will not allow any of them to be attacked or humiliated, since many of them have reached this platform precisely trying to overcome situations like these,” Rocha said, adding that only the contestants should shine in the pageant, not “Nawat, who, in his desire to always be the center of attention, caused this incident.”
Rocha owns the Miss Universe organization alongside Thai businesswoman Anne Jakrajutatip, who stepped down as CEO on June 20, 2025, but retains her interests in the pageant.
In defending the rights of all women, Rocha was emphatic: “I will not allow the values of respect and dignity toward women to be violated.”
Rocha also announced his plan to send other organization executives to Thailand to “take control,” including Guatemalan businessman Mario Búcaro, recently named CEO of Miss Universe, and former media executive Ronald Day, who is the new CEO of the Miss Universe Organization for the Western Region.
“Miss Universe is a platform for women’s empowerment, and it is important that their voices be heard around the world,” Rocha concluded.
