Miss Universe drama explained as second judge quits days before competition

Miss Universe 2025 is mere days away - but the international beauty pageant is still embroiled in some serious drama.

Although the prestigious annual competition isn't actually set to kick off until Friday, November 21, in Thailand, it's already making headlines due to the commotion that's gone on behind the scenes.

If you're unfamiliar with Miss Universe, it was started by a California swimwear company all the way back in 1952, and is one of the best-known beauty pageants in the world.

This year, Bangkok is hosting 130 women from across the globe at the 74th competition and the theme is 'The Power of Love' to honour unity, empowerment, and resilience, as per the event's website.

In order to take part, competitors must first win a local Miss Universe-licensed pageant, like Miss USA for example. However, as we say, this year's competition is already a topic of conversations - and not for positive reasons.

Two judges resign from Miss Universe 2025

Two judges have already resigned, with one of them shockingly accusing organisers of rigging the selection process.

Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouch announced his choice to resign on Instagram on Tuesday (18 November), and hours later, French football manager Claude Makélélé also joined him in dropping out, citing 'personal reasons' as to why.

The composer claimed that he learned through social media that there was an 'impromptu jury' that was asked to pick 30 finalists in advance out of the 136 countries that are supposed to participate.

He wrote: "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."

The musician alleged that the unofficial jury is made up of 'individuals with a significant potential conflict of interest due to some personal relationships with some of the Miss Universe contestants'.

Harfouch added: "After having a disrespectful conversation with [Miss Universe CEO] Raul Rocha about the lack of transparency in the Miss Universe voting process, l decided to resign from the jury and refuse to be part of this charade. I will also not be playing the music composed for the event."

Makélélé on the other hand didn't go into details on exactly why he was dropping out as a judge of the pageant.

He wrote on Instagram: "It is with regret that I must announce that I won’t be able to attend the Miss Universe 2025 event due to unforeseen personal reasons.

"This was a difficult decision, as I hold Miss Universe in the highest regard. The platform represents empowerment, diversity, and excellence - values I have always championed throughout my career.

"I sincerely apologise to the organisation, the contestants, and everyone involved, and I hope to be able to contribute in the future under better circumstances."

Miss Universe's response

The Miss Universe Organisation came back with a social media statement to combat the claims and explain how their judging process works.

They said that 'no external group has been authorised to evaluate delegates or select finalists'.

The statement read: "The Miss Universe Organization firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorised to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols.

"Given [Mr. Harfouch's] expressed confusion, his public mischaracterisation of the program, and his stated desire not to participate, the Miss Universe Organisation respectfully acknowledges his withdrawal from the official judging panel."

It also said Harfouch was no longer allowed to 'display, reference, or associate himself with any Miss Universe trademarks, service marks, logos, titles, or registered properties, in any format, medium, or communication, whether digital, written, or verbal'.

The message concluded: "The Miss Universe Organisation encourages the public, media outlets, and fans worldwide to rely solely on verified MUO communications and to continue supporting the delegates whose leadership, service, and dedication reflect the true values of Miss Universe."

As per the BBC, the resignations come just two weeks after another controversy took place when several Miss Universe contestants walked out of a pre-pageant event due to comments made by an official from host nation Thailand.

Tyla has contacted Miss Universe for comment.