Last week, the Miss Universe competition made waves in Bangkok, culminating in an emotional win for Miss Mexico, Fátima Bosch Fernández. This year’s pageant, featuring contestants from 130 countries, certainly had its fair share of drama, with one unfortunate event in particular leading a participant to the ICU.
So here’s what happened: the day before the big show, Miss Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, took a tumble off the stage while strutting her stuff in a bright orange gown during the evening-gown round. Footage has been shared online showing the moments after the fall, where she was taken off the stage on a stretcher. Raúl Rocha, president of the Miss Universe organization, posted on Instagram about visiting Gabrielle in the hospital, where her family is keeping her company as she recovers. A post on Henry’s Instagram reassured followers that Gabrielle’s injuries are not life-threatening.
However, as of Friday, Henry is still in the intensive care unit. Her sister, Dr. Phylicia Henry-Samuels, commented in a statement released on Miss Jamaica’s Instagram that “Gabby isn’t doing as well as we would have hoped, but the hospital continues to treat her accordingly.” It’s been established that she will likely stay in the ICU for at least a week.
This incident is just one of the eye-catching stories emerging from this year’s Miss Universe pageant. Earlier this month, Miss Mexico, who eventually took home the crown, caused a stir by leading a walkout after a pageant executive chastised her during a Facebook livestream. Furthermore, days prior to the event, two judges and the selection committee president resigned. One judge, Claude Makélélé, cited “unforeseen personal issues,” while Omar Harfouch voiced allegations against the organization, claiming an unofficial jury had already narrowed down finalists without the official panel’s consent. According to the BBC, Miss Universe representatives denied Harfouch’s accusations. Oddly, one of the new judges to step in, Natalie Glebova, who was Miss Universe in 2005, appears to have connections to current contestants, including Jaime VandenBerg, the 2025 Miss Universe Canada, who is also competing in Thailand.
The Cut has reached out to the Miss Universe organization for further comments and will update this story if we get more information.
This article has been updated.
