Miss Universe 2024 Victoria Theilvig walked out of an event in Bangkok after seeing how a pageant boss treated Miss Mexico. The crown holder left a sashing ceremony along with dozens of other women who were fed up with what they saw.
According to Daily Dot, everything went wrong at the hotel where contestants had gathered to work with sponsors and do press appearances. Nawat Itsaragrisil, a top executive at Miss Universe who handles Asia and Oceania, got angry at Mexico’s Fátima Bosch because she skipped a sponsored photo session.
Video from the event shows him lecturing everyone in the room about showing up to all the required activities. He pointed at Miss Mexico and said she “doesn’t do anything she doesn’t like,” then made her get up in front of the group to give an explanation.
What happened next was completely unexpected
Bosch told him she felt uncomfortable being put on the spot like that, and when she tried to say she had a right to speak her mind, he responded by calling her “a dummy.” After that, he asked security guards to remove her from the room. Looking back on it later, Theilvig described his behavior as “beyond disrespectful.”
As Bosch got up to leave, something surprising happened. Other contestants started standing up too and walking out with her. The livestream caught Itsaragrisil shouting at them to stop and sit back down, but the women ignored him and kept going.
Outside, Theilvig spoke with a journalist about her reasons for joining the protest. She made it clear this was bigger than just showing up to scheduled activities. “This is about women’s rights,” she told them. “We have respect for everyone, but this is not how things can be handled. To trash another girl, it’s beyond disrespectful, and it’s nothing I’ve ever done. That’s why I’m taking my coat and I’m going.”
Miss Mexico also talked to reporters in Thailand about what happened. She said nice things about the country and its people but made it obvious she had serious problems with how the director behaved. “I truly love this island, I respect all of you, you’re amazing people, but what your director did is not respectful. He called me dumb. I don’t try to mess with anyone, I just try to be kind and do my best, and he just told me to shut up,” she told them.
She finished by saying that “the world needs to see this, because we are empowered women and no one can shut out our voice.”
Following everything that went down, Theilvig put up a picture with Bosch on her Instagram Story along with a message about the importance of defending yourself. In her post, she wrote that speaking up “is one of the most important acts of self-respect and strength you can show” and made it clear that “Enough is enough, and our voices will be heard loud and clear!” People online loved seeing her speak out about important issues like this.
Itsaragrisil eventually posted his own video trying to explain his side. He complained that lots of contestants weren’t showing up to film content for sponsors, and he thought they should do what he asks since he “pays for everything.”
Miss Universe’s main office released an official message saying the pageant would continue and they would “deliver an exceptional celebration that reflects the values of diversity, empowerment, and inclusion.”
More recently, Theilvig shared something else on her Instagram story saying “As I walk the stage, I carry the crown for all of us. We support each other. We support women. That’s the real jewel of the Miss Universe crown.” Despite the awkward moment during the ceremony, she’s still pushing for better treatment of women.
Published: Nov 5, 2025 03:45 pm