In a startling incident at the Miss Universe preliminary competition, Miss Jamaica, Dr. Gabrielle Henry, was hospitalized after a dramatic fall from the stage. The event unfolded on Wednesday evening in Bangkok, Thailand, as the beauty queen gracefully walked the runway in a dazzling orange gown. As she approached the edge, she accidentally stepped off, plummeting to the ground. The audience reacted with shock, with several attendees leaping from their seats to offer assistance.

Footage circulating on social media captured the tense moments, showing Dr. Henry being carefully placed on a stretcher. She was swiftly transported to Paolo Rangsit Hospital for medical attention. Fortunately, the Miss Jamaica organization has confirmed that she did not suffer any life-threatening injuries. Their statement read, “During the preliminary evening gown segment of the competition, Dr. Gabrielle Henry, Miss Universe Jamaica 2025, experienced an unfortunate fall. She is currently receiving medical care in Thailand as we approach the Miss Universe Finals this weekend.”

The organization further assured supporters, stating, “Medical professionals are overseeing her treatment and have indicated that her injuries are not life-threatening. They will continue to conduct thorough evaluations to ensure her complete recovery. We ask for continued prayers and positive thoughts during this time as she undergoes necessary medical care.”

The incident involving Miss Jamaica took place as pageant contestants competed in a swimsuit round, a national costume round and the evening gown round in hopes to make it to the Miss Universe finale on Friday. Now in its 73rd year, the Miss Universe pageant is one of the world’s longest-running beauty competitions. The event regularly attracts millions of viewers and often generates headlines of its own – and this year is proving no exception. Just days ago, a video sparked controversy at this year’s event after viewers claimed it showed Miss Israel giving Miss Palestine hostile looks.

The clip went viral online after it seemed to show Melanie Shiraz, 27, glaring and rolling her eyes at Nadeen Ayoub, 27, who appeared to be standing next to her. But Shiraz has since posted separate, ‘original footage’ from the event, showing her standing behind Ayoub and diverting her expression elsewhere. The Israeli beauty queen has claimed the video where she appeared to give Miss Palestine the side-eye was ‘edited’ and from a ‘third-party’, and designed to intentionally mislead audiences. In the wake of the viral clip, she said she received an onslaught of online hatred, including ‘Hitler-related comments’, resulting in her having to organise ‘heightened security’. ‘It’s not only death threats, but sexual assault threats,’ Shiraz told the New York Post. ‘I experienced antisemitism before but I didn’t think it would be this bad.’

‘Hitler should have finished the job,’ one comment from social media apparently read. Shiraz took to Instagram to condemn the online ‘hatred’ she says she received following the clip, telling her 37,000 followers: ‘This platform is meant to empower women. ‘Using it to tear women down, sharing images without consent, and staying silent while a fellow competitor is attacked all undermine what we are meant to represent.’ The controversy surrounding Miss Israel came after last year’s Miss Universe winner staged a walkout from an event earlier this month after a contestant was publicly reprimanded. Danish beauty queen Victoria Theilvig, who won the top title last year, stormed out of the sashing ceremony at the Miss Universe delegates’ hotel in Bangkok, after the boss berated Fátima Bosch in front of dozens of other beauty queens.

Justifying her protest against pageant authority, 21-year-old Theilvig said: ‘This is about women’s rights.’ ‘To trash another girl – it’s beyond disrespectful and it’s nothing I’ve ever done. That’s why I’m taking my coat and I’m going.’ The unprecedented incident took place during a live-streamed ceremony of the event, where Nawat Itsaragrisil, Vice President for Asia and Oceania within the Miss Universe Organisation, confronted 25-year-old Bosch about her absence from a sponsor shoot earlier that day. In footage broadcast on the official Miss Universe Thailand Facebook page, Nawat asked Bosch to stand and ‘explain herself’ in front of the rolling cameras, before instructing security personnel to escort her out of the hotel after she insisted on ‘using my voice’. In a mass revolt in support of the beauty queen, several of her fellow contestants proceeded to stand up from their seats ready to storm out of the room. A distressed Nawat could be heard shouting ‘Stop, stop!’ as the models began making their way out of the ceremony, demanding that they ‘Sit down’.