Miss Universe Leadership Responds to Miss Jamaica’s On-Stage Fall, Citing a Lack of Attention

Miss Jamaica Gabrielle Henry.
Credit :

Mohan Raj/Getty

In a troubling incident during the Miss Universe competition, Gabrielle Henry, representing Jamaica, was hospitalized after falling off the stage during the preliminary round. Melissa Sapini, a contestant from Haiti, has spoken out regarding the handling of the situation by pageant staff, expressing concerns over their response to the incident.

“I don’t know that they handled that correctly,” Sapini stated, emphasizing that contestants were informed that Henry “wasn’t paying attention” when she fell.

Henry fell while walking in her orange evening gown and was subsequently removed from the arena on a stretcher. As of now, she remains hospitalized and is expected to stay in the intensive care unit for a minimum of seven days, according to her sister, Dr. Phylicia Henry-Samuels, who is present with her in Thailand.

Describing the aftermath of the fall, Sapini recalled a meeting held for contestants shortly after the incident, during which a staff member began by attributing blame to Henry. “After he said that, then he was like, ‘Of course, safety is our number one priority,’ this, that,” she noted, adding that the initial response felt dismissive of the seriousness of the incident.

The Miss Universe Organization has not issued a comment regarding the affair. However, a representative from the host organization, Miss Grand International, clarified in a statement that the fall was attributed to Henry missing her blocking while walking and asserted that no blame was directed towards her. They emphasized the stage was expansive, with ample safety measures in place, stating, “No other contestant experienced any accidents on that runway, indicating the environment was safe and the fall was an isolated case.”

Reflecting on the emotional toll of the pageant, Sapini described a shared moment of uncertainty with fellow contestants. “We’re just looking at each other with our faces drained. And you just see dreams and hopes lost. That’s so sad to me,” she said.

In the days following Henry’s fall, Raul Rocha, the pageant’s owner, provided an update on her condition via Instagram, reassuring fans that she had no broken bones and was under good care.

As Henry was absent from the competition’s finale, the Miss Universe Jamaica Organization confirmed that both her mother and sister are with her in Thailand to support her recovery.