A leaked video exposing controversial statements that allegedly came from executives of the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) about certain contestants having “no chance of winning” despite promoting “inclusivity” has sparked backlash among netizens and pageant fans.
The viral footage captured a gathering involving trans-Thai mogul Anne Jakrajutatip, who acquired MUO in 2022. Raul Rocha Cantu, the franchise owner of Miss Universe Mexico, was also allegedly present in the video.
The conversation was conducted in English with other individuals present. It touched on the promotion of the pageant’s “inclusivity”.
One revelation from Anne involved her “communication strategy”, sharing her decision to remove the age limit for Miss Universe and allow any woman to participate, and presenting it as a move towards inclusivity and female empowerment to strengthen the pageant’s appeal.
It can be recalled that on September 2023, MUO officially announced the “removal of all age restrictions across all Miss Universe and associated pageants, as reported by Philippine Star. The organization previously only allowed women between the ages of 18 and 28 to compete in the beauty pageant.
However, in the viral clip, the pageant owner was allegedly heard saying, “The trans women, women with husbands, divorced women…now that we changed the age limit, they can now [participate].”
“This is a communication strategy because they can compete, but they cannot win,” she added.
Some participants in the meeting were also heard agreeing with her perspective.
One person even explicitly stated, “We also want to have girls that like fashion, even though we know they can compete but they cannot win.”
The video also showed the MUO head discussing her plans for an alleged reality show, intending to feature “32-33 real-size beauty” and “very big size” contestants.
While the participants agree that many viewers will relate to such a program, Anne asserted, “You already know who’s the winner…”
Anne went on to hint at numerous expansion plans for MUO, reiterating her interest in releasing a reality show focused on “female empowerment”.
Despite claiming to welcome women of all shapes and ages, Anne emphasized the importance of preferred qualities such as charisma, stating, “If you have connection, charisma that leads to product sales… It’s all connected. All connected for money.”
The leaked video gained international attention and was even featured on a Mexican TV show. It is worth noting that the upcoming Miss Universe 2024 is scheduled to take place in Mexico in November.
An official statement came from Anne after the leaked video became a hot topic online.
On her verified Facebook page, Anne expressed gratitude to her partner for his unwavering support amid controversies.
She then addressed the leaked video, saying it was “maliciously edited” and taken “out of context”, leading to “public confusion, misunderstanding, misinterpretation and wrong conclusion.”
“I hope the world would not go round by this nonsense soap opera alike. I still don’t comprehend why this man, who I was so nice to, would like to jeopardize me and the organization while we were talking about one of the new reality show episodes, not the pageantry itself,” Anne wrote.
Anne questioned the motives behind the attempt to jeopardize her image and the organization. Despite the challenges, she believes in the strength of “strong clever fans who can distinguish what is real or not”.
“We always have the kind supporters who genuinely love MUO brand and believe in our core value of promoting diversity. I’m a trans woman and a mother myself who all my life fight for the gender equality rights to be where I am,” she expressed.
Anne concluded her post by expressing her willingness to forgive the person who leaked the footage, highlighting the need for love in the world.
