A Miss Universe 2025 judge who resigned just days before the finals has reignited controversy surrounding this year’s results after posting a new statement on Instagram accusing pageant executives of influencing the outcome.
Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouch, who withdrew from the eight-member selection committee earlier this week, claimed in a fresh Instagram post that Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch—who was crowned Miss Universe 2025 on Friday in Thailand—was a “fake winner.”
In his post, Harfouch wrote: “Miss Mexico is a Fake winner. I Omar Harfouch declared yesterday exclusively on the Americain HBO, 24 hours before the Miss Universe final, that Miss Mexico would win—because Miss Universe owner Raúl Rocha is in business with Fatima Bosch’s father. All details will be showed in May 2026 on HBO. Raul Rocha and his son urged me, week ago in Dubai, to vote for #Fatima Bosh because they need her to winn ‘because it will be good for our business’ they said to me!”
Harfouch said these are the same concerns he raised when he stepped down from the judging panel, where he earlier alleged that an “impromptu jury” had pre-selected finalists without the participation of the official judges.
In his earlier Instagram post, Harfouch claimed: “An impromptu jury has been formed to select 30 finalists from among the 136 participating countries, without the presence of any of the real [eight] members of the jury, including me.”
He further alleged that individuals in this so-called unofficial jury had “significant potential conflict of interest due to some personal relationships with some of the Miss Universe contestants.”
The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) swiftly denied Harfouch’s earlier accusations, saying: “No external group has been authorised to evaluate delegates or select finalists.”
MUO suggested Harfouch may have confused the competition with its independent Beyond the Crown social impact program, which has its own separate selection committee.
As of this writing, MUO has not issued a statement addressing Harfouch’s latest claims implicating MUO President Raúl Rocha, who co-owns the organization and is from Mexico.
Just hours after Harfouch’s resignation, French football legend Claude Makélélé also withdrew from the jury, citing “unforeseen personal reasons.” He said: “I hold Miss Universe in the highest regard. The platform represents empowerment, diversity, and excellence — values I have always championed throughout my career.”
Despite the resignations and allegations, Mexico’s Fatima Bosch emerged as Miss Universe 2025, besting 119 other delegates at the Impact Challenger Hall in Nonthaburi, Thailand.
Bosch’s win followed a tense pre-pageant moment earlier this month when she and several contestants walked out of an event after Thai pageant director Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly berated her for not posting promotional content. The Miss Universe Organization later stepped in and sent international executives to oversee the remainder of the competition.
This year’s Top 5 were:
- Miss Universe 2025: Fatima Bosch (Mexico)
- 1st Runner-Up: Praveenar Singh (Thailand)
- 2nd Runner-Up: Stephany Abasali (Venezuela)
- 3rd Runner-Up: Ahtisa Manalo (Philippines)
- 4th Runner-Up: Olivia Yacé (Cote d’Ivoire)
The Philippines’ Ahtisa Manalo—considered a fan favorite—ended her run as third runner-up.
With Harfouch promising that “all details will be showed in May 2026 on HBO,” the controversy surrounding Miss Universe 2025 is far from over. Meanwhile, MUO confirmed that next year’s pageant will take place in Puerto Rico, which previously hosted the event in 1971, 2001, and 2002.
