MANILA – In a shocking turn of events, Nawat Itsaragrisil, the founder of Miss Grand International, has severed ties with former Miss Universe Philippines 2014 MJ Lastimosa following a controversial vlog posted by Lastimosa. The incident has sent shockwaves through the beauty pageant community and sparked a public feud.
Itsaragrisil didn’t hold back in a live video where he vehemently criticized Lastimosa for a segment in her vlog. Lastimosa had interviewed transgender beauty queen Maki Gingoyon and asked her to reveal the “worst” pageant experience she had ever encountered. Gingoyon candidly responded with “Miss Grand,” alluding to both the national and international editions of the pageant. The response was met with laughter from both Gingoyon and Lastimosa.
The clip from Lastimosa’s vlog quickly gained attention across various pageant-related social media pages, eventually catching the eye of Itsaragrisil himself.
The Miss Grand founder was quick to point out the stark difference between this incident and his previous interactions with Lastimosa. He recalled that Lastimosa had previously praised his pageant for its grand productions and had even requested numerous favors from him, including tickets to last year’s Miss Grand coronation night.
Expressing his disappointment with Lastimosa’s vlog, Itsaragrisil questioned her sincerity and her actions in the vlog. In a surprising move, he decided to end his friendship with the Filipina beauty queen and declared that she should not attend the Miss Grand pageant again.
In the live video, Itsaragrisil stated, “I think we are no more, our relationship between MJ and our organization and myself. Don’t come to Miss Grand anymore, okay? We don’t know each other from now [on]. I don’t want to meet people like you. It’s below standard. It’s not sincere.”
As of the time of writing, Lastimosa has not responded to Itsaragrisil’s decision to end their friendship.
Previously, the Miss Grand founder also accused Philippine delegate Nikki de Moura of being unprofessional.
The Miss Grand founder has been under scrutiny by Filipino pageant enthusiasts after making critical comments about the country’s representative, Nikki de Moura, in the recent Miss Grand International pageant. Many fans were left baffled when De Moura failed to secure a spot in the Top 20, despite her impressive performance during the preliminaries. It’s worth noting that no Filipina has ever won the Miss Grand International title, with Nicole Cordoves and Samantha Bernardo finishing as first runners-up in their respective stints.