Miss Universe’s Thai owner breaks silence on leaked video belittling inclusivity, says clip was ‘manipulated’
- Thai transgender activist Jakapong Jakrajutatip has blamed an unnamed person for the ‘unlawful act’, saying the edited clip was used to tarnish her reputation
- Jakapong says she does not know why the unnamed person ‘would jeopardise me and the organisation’, and insists she is a staunch proponent of gender equality rights
Thai transgender activist and Miss Universe Organisation owner Jakapong Jakrajutatip has broken her silence on a video in which she belittled efforts to boost inclusivity at the beauty pageant, saying the clip was “manipulated” to tarnish her reputation.
Jakapong reportedly said the decision to remove the age limit and allow transwomen, mothers and married women to take part in the event was a “communication strategy”.
“This is a communication strategy because they can compete, but they cannot win,” she said in the video that was leaked online and widely circulated on social media.
Jakapong, who bought the platform for US$20 million in 2022, blamed an unnamed person for the “unlawful act”, adding the brand’s supporters believed in our “core value of promoting diversity” and would not be fooled by the controversy.
“The malicious edited video was out of context and used to manipulate other people which led to the public confusion, misunderstanding, misinterpretation and wrong conclusion,” she said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“I still don’t comprehend why this man, who I was so nice to, would jeopardise me and the organisation while we were talking about one of the new reality show episodes, not the pageantry itself.”
Jakapong is a celebrity in Thailand, starring in local versions of reality shows Project Runway and Shark Tank.