Steve Harvey Apologizes for Miss Universe Gaffe

By Sara Wilkins 2 min read

Comedian Steve Harvey has publicly apologized for crowning the wrong model Miss Universe during the live pageant on Sunday night.

Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo for Colombia and Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach of the Philippines stood next to each other on the stage as Harvey announced the winner, declaring Colombia Miss Universe.

However, he had to return moments later when Arevalo was already wearing the crown, to confess he had made a mistake, saying, “Folks I have to apologize…the first runner-up is Colombia. Miss Universe 2015 is Philippines.”

Video footage shows Wurtzbach looking confused and stunned as she returns to the front of the stage next to Miss Colombia, and Harvey goes off script to explain that he read his cue card wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9aRmmWX5XI

Showing the card to the camera, he says, “I will take responsibility for this. It was my mistake, it was on the card… First runner-up is Colombia, it was my mistake. Still a great night, please don’t hold it against the ladies. We feel so badly but it’s still a great night. Thank you all!”

The crown is then removed from the head of Miss Colombia and placed on Miss Philippines.

Harvey took to Twitter after the Las Vegas show to say sorry once more, writing, “I’d like to apologize wholeheartedly to Miss Colombia & Miss Philippines for my huge mistake. I feel terrible… Secondly, I’d like to apologize to the viewers at that I disappointed as well. Again it was an honest mistake… I don’t want to take away from this amazing night and pageant. As well as the wonderful contestants. They were all amazing.”

The pageant, held at the Planet Hollywood resort, is the first Miss Universe contest to take place since business tycoon and U.S. Presidential hopeful Donald Trump sold the Miss Universe Organization earlier this year following a backlash over comments he made about Mexicans living in the U.S.