Who is Miss Universe Thailand representative Nawat Issaragrisil, the central figure in the controversy over the “humiliation” of Miss Mexico?

The businessman became famous in various media as a television personality.

Initially, he was known for his travel shows, but later established himself as an executive in various beauty pageants.

A graduate of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he served as the director and executive producer of Miss Thailand World from 2007 to 2013 before establishing his own pageant franchises including Miss Grand Thailand and Miss Grand International.

This year, he was appointed as the executive director of Miss Universe.

During his years in the industry, he has stirred up some controversy and been accused of abuse multiple times.

In recent hours, he has apologized but used his Instagram account to reject his critics and strengthen his controversial profile.

The executive posted a video on his account in which he publicly denounced the abuse that 1996 Miss Universe Alicia Machado experienced in the Miss Universe industry at the time, calling him a “misogynist and an asshole” and questioning the idea of ​​Miss Universe being held in Thailand.

“Thank you, Alicia Machado, Miss Universe 1996. I accept your opinion and know that you are a great role model for Miss Universe. It’s a shame that my country, Thailand, is not good enough for you,” Nawat sarcastically responded to the actress.

“Freedom of expression (voice) is important, but if that voice is false, it’s not freedom of expression,” he argued in another publication, in a message that appears to be an exposé about Fatima Bosch.

Miss Universe president Raul Rocha publicly condemned Nawat’s actions and vowed to pursue corporate and legal action.

The director claimed that Thais always want the spotlight on them and unfortunately this was no exception.

The organization also reported that Mr. Nawat’s participation in contest activities will be limited.

But the controversy with Miss Mexico is not the first time Nawat Isaragrisil has faced controversy.

Miss Iceland 2015 Arna Yir Jonsdottir accused a Thai business association of telling her she was “too fat” and “should lose weight,” CNN reported at the time.

All of this would have happened before the Miss Grand International finals in Las Vegas in October 2016.

In fact, Ir Jónsdóttir withdrew from the competition citing abuse. “We are in 2016 and if you are going to organize an international pageant, you have to be able to understand international beauty,” he said on the occasion.

In light of the controversy, Nawat Isaragrisil released a statement defending the incident, saying it was merely “advice” given to the participants to “improve” their appearance and win.

“This is a normal process for the three weeks the competition lasts and everyone should show their improvement. Similarly, staff will give the same advice to those who ask what they should do to improve and win,” he said at the time.

She also appeared in controversy, pointing out that Miss Vietnam’s torso was too long and her legs were too short, justifying her early rejection from Miss Grand International in 2022.

In May this year, she also competed against 2024 Miss Grand International winner Rachel Gupta, who announced her decision to vacate the title. The businessman posted an image in which he said Mr. Gupta had undergone plastic surgery.

She also blamed a “toxic environment” within the Thai-led organization.

Subscribe here Sign up for our new newsletter and we’ll bring you the week’s best content every Friday.

Don’t forget that you can also receive notifications in the app. Please download and activate the latest version.