Two judges have resigned from the Miss Universe international beauty pageant, with one making accusations of rigging and mulling a lawsuit as the annual competition nears its end in Bangkok.
Omar Harfouch, a Lebanese-French composer, was the first to step down from the eight-member panel, saying in an Instagram post on Tuesday that there had been a “secret vote” by people not on the official jury to preselect the top 30 contestants out of 136.
On Wednesday, Harfouch said he was considering filing a lawsuit against the Miss Universe Organization that runs the competition, citing emotional trauma and reputational damage.
“I was misled and publicly used to give credibility to an election process that was already compromised,” he said on Instagram, adding that a member of the unofficial group had a personal romantic relationship with one of the contestants.
The Miss Universe Organization denied Harfouch’s accusations, saying Tuesday on Instagram that there was no impromptu jury and that all competition evaluations continued to follow the organization’s “established, transparent, and supervised” protocols.
It said the group of people Harfouch was referring to was the official selection committee for a separate social impact initiative.
The Miss Universe Organization did not respond to an NBC News request for comment.
A second judge, former French soccer star Claude Makélélé, also stepped down on Tuesday, citing “unforeseen personal reasons.”
“This was a difficult decision, as I hold Miss Universe in the highest regard,” he said on Instagram.
The pageant, which began Nov. 5 and concludes on Friday, also made headlines earlier this month when several contestants walked out after Nawat Itsaragrisil, a Thai businessman who is co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, chided Miss Mexico, Fátima Bosch, for not taking part in promotional activities.
Nawat later apologized and was admonished by his fellow owner, Raul Rocha Cantú, who said he would not let contestants be “humiliated.”
Miss Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, is also recovering at a hospital after falling off stage Wednesday during the preliminary evening gown round.
Founded in 1952 by a California swimwear brand, Miss Universe quickly became a lucrative business, passing through the ownership of mostly male executives, including President Donald Trump, who owned the rights either in part or in full from 1996 until 2022.
The competition, which generates most of its revenue from licensing regional broadcasting rights, was sold to Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, a Thai businesswoman, for $20 million in 2022.
Over the years, Miss Universe has suffered from slumping viewership as criticism rose over its objectification of women.
While the competition has made modest strides under Jakrajutatip’s ownership, such as allowing married women and mothers to compete, complaints of sexual harassment and rigging have continued across almost every iteration.
Miss Jamaica was seen falling off the stage at the Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, Thailand.
