Miss Universe judge Omar Harfouch has abruptly resigned from the pageant’s official jury just days before this year’s competition is set to kick off on Nov. 21.
Harfouch took to his Instagram Stories on Tuesday to claim that the Top 30 finalists had been chosen in secret long before the judges ever cast a vote.
His exit has sparked a wave of confusion and frustration among contestants, many of whom say they learned about the alleged pre-selection online rather than from the Miss Universe Organization itself.
Harfouch claimed he discovered that an “impromptu jury” had already chosen which contestants would move forward out of the 136 women competing.
According to him, some people within this unauthorized group had personal ties to participating contestants – including individuals responsible for counting votes and handling results.
He argued that such connections created an undeniable conflict of interest.
Harfouch also claimed that the existence of this alleged secret jury came to his attention through social media rather than any internal Miss Universe communication.
“The results of this selection are currently being kept secret,” he wrote.
When Harfouch pushed for answers, he said the organization responded by posting a list of names involved in the process without explaining what those people actually did.
He described the move as an attempt to quiet criticism without offering any meaningful clarification and, after what he described as a tense exchange with Miss Universe leadership, ultimately stepped away from the panel.
“After having a disrespectful conversation with [Miss Universe CEO] Raul Rocha about the lack of transparency in the Miss Universe voting process, I decided to resign from the jury and refuse to be part of this charade,” Harfouch announced.
Harfouch also announced that he was withdrawing the musical performance he had prepared for the competition.
The Miss Universe Organization, meanwhile, quickly rejected his allegations and insisted that its procedures remain legitimate and tightly controlled.
“The Miss Universe Organization firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols,” the organization said in a statement.
“Given [Mr. Harfouch’s] expressed confusion, his public mischaracterization of the program, and his stated desire not to participate, the Miss Universe Organization respectfully acknowledges his withdrawal from the official judging panel,” the pageant added.
This wouldn’t be the first controversy to unfold just days before this year’s Miss Universe pageant kicks off on Nov. 21.
Miss Universe exec Nawat Itsaragrisil was dismissed from the pageant earlier this month following a tense confrontation with Miss Mexico that resulted in several contestants walking out of a pre-pageant event.
