Miss Universe Thailand President Sues Miss Universe For Defamation, Says Never Called Miss Mexico "Dumbhead"

Controversies around the Miss Universe 2025 pageant don't seem to be ending. Days after Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch was crowned Miss Universe 2025 -- and Miss Universe Thailand president Nawat Itsaragrisil allegedly called her a "dumbhead" in a pre-pageant interaction that went viral on social media -- the senior official has now filed a defamation case against the pageant winner.

In a joint Facebook post, Miss Universe Thailand and Nawat Itsaragrisil have jointly issued a statement, stating that he never called Fatima Bosch a "dumbhead".

"We wish to reaffirm that Mr Nawat Itsaragrisil never called Ms Fatima Bosch a 'dumbhead.' What he said was 'damage,' which is clearly audible in the voice recordings that have already been widely circulated across various platforms," the post written in Thai read.

In the run-up to the main rounds of the Miss Universe 2025 pageant, a video of Nawat Itsaragrisil went viral on social media in which he appeared to have called Fatima Bosch a "dumbhead".

According to the clips, the Miss Universe Thailand president was seen calling out Fatima Bosch for reportedly refusing to participate in a photoshoot for social media. He had claimed that she acted under the guidance of Mexico's pageant director. However, Fatima Bosch outright denied the allegations.

In the video, Nawat Itsaragrisil was seen interrupting Fatima Bosch and pressing her for a verbal confirmation that she was willing to post about Thailand. Several media outlets reported that Nawat Itsaragrisil referred to Fatima Bosch as a "dumbhead", although the Miss Grand International organisation later clarified that these reports were false.

After he received a massive backlash on social media, Nawat Itsaragrisil at the time held a press conference where he tearfully apologised for his actions. "I have to apologise to the delegates if anyone felt uncomfortable ... I am very sorry. Thank you so much for making Thailand the host country for Miss Universe again," he had said.

Now, in the Facebook post, the pageant and Nawat Itsaragrisil clarified that his actual words were, "If you follow the order from your national director you're damage, if you not you can do it. I (will be) very happy and the good report will go to organise... (sic)"

They alleged that Fatima Bosch made false accusations against Nawat Itsaragrisil and did not issue an apology even after being informed of the true context of the conversation. "

"However, when Ms. Fatima Bosch Fernandez walked out of the room, she immediately made a false accusation in front of the media by publicly claiming otherwise. Even after she later became aware of the facts, she did not apologise to Mr. Nawat Itsaragrisil. Instead, she continued to falsely accuse him in multiple interviews, seemingly for personal gain and to justify herself throughout the competition-after which she was ultimately crowned Miss Universe, as everyone is aware," the post read.

According to the Facebook post, Nawat Itsaragrisil officially filed the criminal complaint against Fatima Bosch in Thailand on November 12. The post also included images of the multi-page filing, written in Thai.

After Fatima Bosch was crowned Miss Universe 2025 on November 21, through her social media, she has often said that she was bullied and she received death threats after she won the pageant.

This is not the only controversy that ails the Miss Universe pageant. The South Bangkok Civil Court issued a warrant for Miss Universe co-owner Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip after a plastic surgeon accused her of $930,000 fraud.

Following a series of controversies, Miss Universe Raul Rocha even said in an interview that he was "so fed up with all the talk" that he was considering selling off the organisation.

Also Read | Miss Universe 2025 Controversy Explained: Walk-Outs, Judges Quit, Legal Threats And An Emotional Apology