Pulitzer awardee Ronan Farrow says Michelle Dee was ‘robbed’ after Miss Universe exit

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By: Hannah Mallorca - 1 year ago

Stay tuned for more Miss Universe 2023 updates!

Michelle Dee (left) and Ronan Farrow (right). Image from Miss Universe YT, Farrow's X account

Michelle Dee (left) and Ronan Farrow (right). Image from Miss Universe YT, Farrow’s X account

Even Pulitzer award-winning investigative journalist Ronan Farrow was rooting for Michelle Dee and thought the Filipina beauty queen has been deprived of the opportunity to shine at the final round of the Miss Universe 2023 pageant.

On his X (formerly Twitter) account, Farrow — son of American actress Mia Farrow and filmmaker Woody Allen — made a brief reference to the Filipina beauty queen being left “shaking and crying.”

Screenshot of Ronan Farrow on his X account

Farrow, a lawyer, won the Pulitzer for his report on allegations of sexual abuse against filmmaker Harvey Weinstein, who would later be convicted in a Los Angeles court for several counts.

On the same thread, Farrow said that he’s happy for Miss Nicaragua, Sheynnis Palacios, who won this year’s Miss Universe crown, which is also the first for her country.

Meanwhile, Dee’s friends Rhian Ramos, Kylie Padilla, and Max Collins are among the many pageant fans who were dismayed by the beauty queen’s exit after her Top 10 finish during the Miss Universe coronation night in El Salvador last Nov. 18 (Nov. 19 in Manila). In their shared posts, the fans appeared to imply irregularity in the pageant results.

(From left) Rhian Ramos, Kylie Padilla, Max Collins. Images from their respective Instagram accounts

After the Top 10 candidates competed in the evening gown portion, reigning titleholder Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua, Anntonia Porsild of Thailand, Moraya Wilson of Australia, Karla Guilfu of Puerto Rico, and Camila Avella of Colombia were called to advance to the Top 5, while those whose names weren’t called, including Dee, were ushered to the backstage.

Following the series of events, a certain art card claiming that the crossover stunner was included in the Top 5 had been making rounds on social media, only for Dee’s photo to be changed with Porsild.

The screenshot was allegedly posted on Miss Universo El Salvador’s official Instagram account, but was deleted after about 10 minutes, although the handler of the account has yet to confirm nor deny the claims.

Taking to her X (formerly Twitter) page, Ramos reposted the alleged art card with the remark: “Mashaket (It hurts).”

Padilla, meanwhile, admitted that she’s being “Petty Kylie” after sharing the similar art card on her X account.

“I’ll just leave this here and I’ll pack petty kylie away after,” she wrote.

On the other hand, Collins shared screenshots from the Facebook group “Bekis of Pageantry” which includes posts claiming that Dee was removed from the Top 5 on purpose.

Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@maxcollinsofficial

Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@maxcollinsofficial

‘Robbed’

Many netizens agreed that Dee was “robbed” of a chance to win the Miss Universe crown after she was excluded from the Top 5.

Other fans also noted that if the beauty queen was given a chance to enter the question-and-answer portion, she would’ve stood out among her fellow candidates — considering her awards from the pageant as well.

One @tzujuliee and a fan account going by the username @PiaWurtzbachUni also questioned the results of the global tilt on X, while sharing the art card that Miss Universo El Salvador allegedly posted on social media.

Another @wildcatmorana suspected that the pageant’s camera man appeared to be “confused” that Dee wasn’t included in the Top 5, while noting that he was supposedly zooming in on the Filipina delegate.

The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) has yet to issue a statement addressing the allegations, as of this writing.

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