Anne Jakrajutatip became CEO of Miss Universe in 2022 after buying the organization with her JKN Global Group for $20 million. She promised to center women in her reign, saying in 2023, “From now on it’s going to be run by women, owned by a trans woman, for all women around the world.”
However, her tenure as CEO was marked by several hiccups.
In 2024, Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark was crowned Miss Universe. In a press conference following her win, Jakrajutatip indicated that Theilvig represented the ultimate “evolution” of the pageant in response to a question from a reporter, as seen in a clip on Instagram.
“We have blond and blue eyes, so we’re coming to the ultimate evolution already,” she said. “We don’t need any more evolution here. We already got the best here.”
Some pageant contestants criticized Jakrajutatip, while others said they weren’t offended by her remarks.
The comments followed an October 2023 video, obtained by Business Insider, in which Jakrajutatip said diverse contestants “can compete, but they can’t win.” She later said in a statement on Facebook that she was referring to a Miss Universe reality show, not the pageant, with her comment.
Jakrajutatip was also accused of trying to meddle with the pageant results during her tenure.
A former Miss Universe judge told Business Insider that in 2023, Jakrajutatip tried to pressure Paula Shugart, the longtime president of Miss Universe, to put Miss Thailand in the top five. Shugart resigned from the organization during the 2023 pageant.
Jakrajutatip didn’t respond to a request for comment at the time and never publicly addressed the allegation.
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