Miss Universe Thailand director apologises for controversy, claims he did not call Mexico contestant 'dumb'

The director of Miss Universe Thailand, Nawat Itsaragrisil, has apologised for the recent controversy involving Mexico's contestant for the pageant. 

During a livestream on Tuesday (Nov 4), the 60-year-old was seen publicly chastising Miss Universe Mexico, Fatima Bosch, for not posting promotional materials of Thailand. 

He also seemingly insulted her by saying: "If you follow the order from your national director, you're a dumb head."

His behaviour prompted Fatima and some fellow contestants to walk out of the event and sparked global outrage.

On the night of Nov 5, during the welcoming ceremony of Miss Universe 2025, Itsaragrisil issued an apology for the incident.

"I think you must understand that the pressure is a lot. I am a human. Sometimes, I cannot control [myself]," said Itsaragrisil while on stage. 

"I do not intend to harm anyone because I respect all of you... I have to say, I am so sorry [this] happened."

The director then turned to face the contestants on stage before bowing to them.

Additionally, in a separate press conference, Itsaragrisil claimed he did not call Bosch a "dumb head" during the viral confrontation but had used the word "damage".

"I didn't say 'dumb head' even one second... I said 'damage'. If [Fatima] believed and listened to [her] national director, it's 'damage'," he said.

Following his apology, some contestants of previous pageants Itsaragrisil organised, such as Miss Grand International, voiced their support for him through social media.

The Thai director posted these encouraging messages on his Instagram stories on Thursday.

That same morning, Itsaragrisil also wrote in a post on Instagram Stories: "Freedom of speech (voice) is important but if the voices are lies, it would not be called freedom of speech (voice)."

He was seemingly referring to the controversy.

The incident had also prompted a response from Raul Rocha, the president of Miss Universe Organisation.

He condemned Itsaragrisil's actions and stated he would restrict the Thai director's participation in upcoming events for this year's contest.

The Miss Universe 2025 finale is set to take place on Nov 21 in Bangkok, Thailand.

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com