New Miss Universe controversy: Miss Jamaica was allegedly blamed for her shocking stage fall, Miss Haiti shares details
The Miss Universe pageant is facing new controversy after a contestant alleged that the organisation’s leadership placed blame on Miss Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, following her scary on-stage fall during the preliminary competition – the beauty queen remains hospitalised a week after the November 19 incident. Also read | Miss Jamaica suffers brutal fall off Miss Universe stage in evening gown round; carried on stretcher in shocking video
Miss Haiti Melissa Sapini, 22, spoke to People in a November 26 interview, revealing details about the immediate aftermath of the frightening moment when Miss Jamaica, walking in her orange evening gown, tumbled from the stage and was later removed from the Miss Universe venue on a stretcher.
‘That was really scary’
According to Miss Haiti, pageant contestants were called to a meeting where a staff member, addressing the incident, allegedly pointed to Miss Jamaica’s conduct as the cause. She recalled: “I don’t know that they handled that correctly. The first thing he said was it’s because she wasn’t paying attention. After he said that, then he was like, ‘Of course, safety is our number one priority,’ this, that. But it’s like, ‘Are you serious?’ That was really scary.”
‘We’re looking at these articles and not even talking’
Explaining how the incident stunned her, and the stress all the Miss Universe 2025 controversies placed on her and her fellow competitors, Miss Haiti added: “There were so many little things. I’ll never forget it was before [the pageant] — because we had a day in between prelims and finals — just sitting in my room with my roommate… our only downtime, which we did not have a lot of, and I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Is this it?’ We’re looking at each other. We’re looking at these articles, and we’re not even talking. We’re just looking at each other with our faces drained. And you just see dreams and hopes lost. That’s so sad to me.”
Miss Jamaica remains hospitalised
Following the dramatic fall, Miss Jamaica was hospitalised in Thailand. Miss Universe owner Raul Rocha provided an update via Instagram days later, confirming that he had visited her and her family in the hospital. Moreover, the Miss Universe Jamaica Organisation confirmed, sharing his statement on Instagram on November 24, that Miss Jamaica was ‘now in good health and nearing discharge’.
The incident involving the blaming of Miss Jamaica for her fall was the latest in a series of highly publicised and controversial moments that have plagued this year’s pageant proceedings and overshadowed the Miss Universe competition itself – from Thai pageant executive Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly reprimanding Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch, who was eventually crowned Miss Universe 2025 on November 21, to allegations of rigging and judge resignations.
