The Miss Universe Organization recently announced its official, majority-female selection committee for the 72nd edition of the Miss Universe competition, which takes place November 18, 2023 in San Salvador.
The selection committee includes women with pageant backgrounds like Janelle Commissiong, Denise White, Iris Mittenaere and Halima Aden. In 2016, Aden made history as the first hijab-wearing model to sign with a major agency. She also became the first to wear a hijab and burkini in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant. Commissiong, who is from Trinidad and Tobago, was the first woman of color to be crowned Miss Universe.
Other members of the selection committee include Mexican singer-songwriter Mario Bautista; co-host of Telemundo’s La Mesa Caliente Giselle Blondet; digital beauty creator Avani Gregg; Queer Eye for the Straight Guy star Carson Kressley; former White House physician Dr. Connie Mariano; and Vice President of Growth Marketing & Merchandising at Roku Sweta Patel;
President of the Miss Universe Organization Paula Shugart said, “We are honored to have such brilliant committee members this year. Each of them brings a unique perspective to the challenging and intricate process of choosing just one special delegate to wear the crown as our 2023 global ambassador for social change and women’s empowerment.”
On the heels of the announcement, People en Español reported on Tuesday (November 14) that KN Global Group, the company that owns the Miss Universe franchise, filed for bankruptcy in Thailand.
According to People en Español, KN Global Group said it is confident their economic issues will be resolved through new financial agreements.
There’s no word on whether the bankruptcy news will affect the upcoming pageant in any way, but as of now, it looks like everything is still full steam ahead.
Leading the Spanish broadcast of this year’s Miss Universe competition as hosts are Mexican actress and TV host Jacky Bracamontes and Ecuadorian actor, host, and model Danilo Carrera.