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Denmark’s Victoria Kjær Theilvig will soon hand over her Miss Universe crown to one lucky lady.

The 2025 Miss Universe competition will take place in Thailand later this month and will celebrate some of the most beautiful and accomplished women from across the globe. “This year, Miss Universe embraces the theme ‘The Power of Love,’ bringing together 130 nations in a shared vision of compassion, inclusivity, and strength,” the organization’s website states. “Through this celebration, we honor love as a force that empowers, breaks barriers, and inspires positive change across the world.”

This year’s beauty pageant has already made headlines. Pageant executive Nawat Itsaragrisil found himself wrapped up in controversy after he called security on Miss Universe Mexico, Fátima Bosch, for defending herself during a heated interaction at a pre-pageant event on November 4. A few weeks later, composer Omar Harfouch withdrew from the judges panel after claiming an “impromptu jury” had narrowed down the group of contestants without his knowledge.

Meanwhile, some fans have found themselves confused about the pageant’s stateside air time, given the time difference between the U.S. and Thailand.

Scroll down for everything we know about this year’s Miss Universe competition.

Where and when can I watch the 2025 Miss Universe pageant?

The pageant’s final competition will take place on November 21 at 8 a.m. Thailand time. In the U.S., the final will air on Telemundo and Peacock on November 20, due to the time difference. Carlos Adyan, Jessica Carrillo, Jacqueline Bracamontes, and Danilo Carrera will host the broadcast, per NBCUniversal. Coverage will begin 7 p.m. ET.

Where is the 2025 Miss Universe pageant taking place?

The event will be held at the Impact Challenger Hall in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, Thailand.

What is the drama surrounding the 2025 Miss Universe pageant?

In a pre-pageant event livestreamed via Facebook on November 4, Itsaragrisil informed the contestants that they were expected to “promote the host country” via social media. He specifically called out Bosch, claiming the contestant refused to participate in a social media photo shoot under the orders of Mexico’s pageant director.

Bosch can be heard denying the claims in the video. When another contestant asked if Itsaragrisil could repeat the question, he refused, claiming he received a “report” about Bosch’s behavior and claiming that Mexico’s pageant director had been kicked out of the country.

“If you follow the orders from your national director, you are a dumb head,” he told the contestants. Near the end of the livestream, Itsaragrisil grew frustrated by Bosch’s defense and called security to escort her out of the room. “As women, you need to show respect for us,” she stated. “I’m here representing a country, and it’s not my fault that you have problems with my organization.”

Dozens of contestants subsequently stood up and began to walk out in solidarity. “If anyone wants to continue the contest, sit down,” Itsaragrisil stated. The livestream ended with several contestants standing around, confused by the situation.

“As a country, you have all my respect. I truly love Thailand. I respect all of you. I think that you are amazing people. But what your director did is not respectful. He called me dumb because he had problems with the organization, and I think that’s not fair because I’m here and I do everything okay,” Bosch said in an interview shortly after the incident. “I don’t mess with anyone. I just try to be kind. I’m trying to give my best, and he just shot me [down] and he just said to me, shut up and a lot of different things. And I think that the world needs to see this because we are empowered women, and this is a platform for our voice. And no one can shut our voice.”

Has the Miss Universe organization reacted to the controversy?

Raúl Rocha, President of the Miss Universe organization, addressed the drama in a November 4 video statement. “I will not allow the values of respect and dignity toward women to be violated,” he stated. “Unfortunately, Nawat has forgotten the true meaning of what it means to be a genuine host.”

Rocha continued, “Without further ado, I would like to make it clear, my great indignation toward Nawat for the public aggression he committed against Fátima Bosch, Miss Universe Mexico, whom he humiliated, insulted, and he showed a lack of respect, in addition to the serious abuse of having called security to intimidate a defenseless woman, trying to silence and exclude her. Nawat, you need to stop.”

Rocha noted that “every woman in the world should be respected” and praised Bosch for using her voice and proudly representing her country. Revealing that he previously gave instructions to postpone the event “to avoid any interaction with Nawat,” Rocha announced that he had “restricted Nawat’s participation in the pageant.

Itsaragrisil later apologized for his actions via social media, sharing that he had spoken with all of the contestants in attendance at the event.

Why did a 2025 Miss Universe judge quit ahead of the competition?

In a series of November 18 Instagram Stories, Harfouch claimed that an “impromptu jury has been formed to select the 30 finalists from among the 136 participating countries, without the presence of any of the real 8 members of the jury,” and that the results were being kept secret.

One day prior, Miss Universe’s official Instagram page announced members of the Beyond the Crown Selection Committee, which did not include Harfouch. In another Instagram Story post, Harfouch alleged that members of that committee have a “significant potential conflict of interest” with some contestants, including the person responsible for counting the pageant’s results. He further claimed that the Instagram post about the committee was posted after he expressed his disapproval over the decision.

“After having a disrespectful conversation with Raúl Rocha about the lack of transparency in the Miss Universe voting process, I decided to resign from the jury and refuse to be part of this charade,” Harfouch wrote. “I will also not be playing the music I composed for the event.”

In a November 18 social media statement, the Miss Universe organization clarified that the Beyond the Crown Selection Committee and program “operates entirely separately from the Miss Universe competition and from the official judging panel.”

The statement continued, “The Miss Universe Organization firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols.

Harfouch reacted to the organization’s response via his Instagram Story, writing, “The miss universe comitte [sic] just recognised that they had done a pre selection of 30 contestants without the knowledge of the official membre [sic] of the jury. Wich [sic] is absolutely hilarious!”

Miss Universe 2025, Thursday, November 20, 7/6c, Telemundo and streaming on Peacock