EXCLUSIVE – Miss Universe – “I was subjected to intimidation, financial pressure, and reprisals”: ​​Miss Israel, Melanie Shiraz Asor’s shocking revelations

The crisis surrounding Miss Israel 2026 continues to shake the world of beauty pageants. After denouncing a lack of transparency in the selection process for Israel's next representative at Miss Universe, Melanie Shiraz Asor, Miss Israel 2025, found herself at the center of a heated controversy. As Interviews you indicatedThe Miss Israel Organization announced that Melanie Shiraz Asor was no longer authorized to represent it, speak on its behalf, or act officially for it. This decision follows the young woman's accusations regarding the competition's operation, which she considers manipulated and predetermined. Faced with the controversies, accusations of pressure, tensions with the organization, and questions now surrounding the selection of Miss Israel 2026, Interviews Melanie Shiraz Asor was interviewed directly. She gave a lengthy response, accusing her national director of repeated pressure, claiming to have provided evidence to Miss Universe, and denouncing a system which, according to her, does not sufficiently protect the women it claims to promote.

Interview: Did you feel threatened? By whom?
Melanie Shiraz Asor: Absolutely. Throughout my tenure, I was subjected to repeated intimidation, manipulation, financial pressure, and retaliation from my national director, which forced me to comply with her expectations and discouraged me from speaking out. Agreed-upon reimbursements were withheld as a form of coercion, I was repeatedly threatened financially, and I was pressured regarding funds that had been raised to cover my own expenses. At times, I was also asked to publicly promote information I knew to be false in order to protect or enhance the director's reputation. Taken together, these actions raise serious legal and ethical concerns and may constitute illegal conduct.

You also say that the organization invoked non-existent contractual obligations. Why is this important?
What is particularly concerning is that the organization has repeatedly invoked non-existent contractual obligations. Throughout my reign, and again after I chose to speak out publicly, these alleged obligations were used to justify financial demands, restrictions, and measures taken against me, even though no contract had ever been signed.

Did you feel that you were being asked to go against your principles?
Throughout my reign, I was constantly pressured to prioritize the interests and reputation of a director who is neither Israeli nor Jewish, and who has no significant connection to Israel, over concerns that I believed concerned Israel, women, and the very integrity of the title. I was not prepared to remain silent or act against my own principles for this, especially since I had no contractual obligation to do so, and this type of behavior has never been part of the responsibilities inherent in a title like Miss Israel.

"The organization tried to discredit me, erase my reign from its archives, and punish me for speaking out."

How did the organization react after your speech?
What has happened since I spoke out only reinforces the concerns I raised. Rather than addressing the substance of the evidence I provided, the organization has attempted to discredit me, erase my reign from its records, publicly denounce me, and punish me for speaking out. When the organization was unable to refute my accusations with evidence, its response shifted to publicly collecting "character testimonies" and endorsements from people with different experiences, as if proving that one woman was allegedly not abused could refute the testimony of another woman who claimed to have been.

What were your accusations based on?
My accusations were supported by documents, messages, recordings, witnesses, and evidence that journalists reviewed before publication. Conversely, many of the organization's claims in response were deemed inaccurate, unsubstantiated, or contradicted by the available evidence by these same journalists. Rather than addressing the substance of the issues raised, the focus remained on discrediting the person who raised them, and I find this very telling. Unfortunately, my case is not unique. In my year alone, several contestants and titleholders within the Miss Universe system faced retaliation after reporting mistreatment or inappropriate behavior. The failure to take these issues seriously, along with the apparent reluctance to confront repeated accusations of mistreatment by national directors, seems to be a topic Miss Universe refuses to address seriously.

Have you contacted Raul Rocha, the president of Miss Universe?
No. I haven't contacted Raul Rocha directly, as he seems to have been largely absent from these matters amidst the various controversies surrounding the ownership and management of Miss Universe. However, I have repeatedly contacted the Miss Universe management team as well as senior officials responsible for overseeing international operations.

What do they tell you at Miss Universe?
Nothing. I received no meaningful response. During Miss Universe, I was subjected to significant public hostility, including death threats and coordinated online attacks directed against me, both because I am Israeli and due to circumstances within the organization's control. Security measures were increased accordingly. Throughout the competition, I was repeatedly promised meetings with management, only to be told "tomorrow" again, day after day, for nearly three weeks. These meetings never took place.

Did you then file a formal complaint?
After the competition, I filed a formal complaint against my national director, including concerns about behavior I considered deeply inappropriate and serious enough to raise questions about whether certain actions were permissible under U.S. law. I provided evidence. I documented my concerns. I was ignored.

Have you submitted any other information recently?
More recently, I submitted evidence demonstrating that the upcoming Miss Israel selection process appeared to be rigged to produce a predetermined result, with procedures inconsistent with Miss Universe's own rules and standards for fair and transparent national selection. This was not speculation. It was supported by evidence that Miss Universe reviewed. Despite this, I was informed that no action would be taken. The lack of response has been one of the most disappointing aspects of this entire experience, especially since the concerns raised were supported by evidence and involved clear violations of the organization's own guidelines.

What do you think of everything that has happened over the past year, with so many scandals surrounding Miss Universe?
What concerns me most is the number of controversies involving women who are actively mistreated, exploited, manipulated, abused, and treated unfairly by the very people who are supposed to support them. Behind the scenes, candidates are often expected to absorb enormous personal, emotional, professional, and financial costs, while receiving far less support than promised. At the same time, a very different image is presented publicly to protect the reputations of the directors and organizations. In many cases, the directors themselves seem to become the source of the problems that the candidates are then forced to deal with.

So you're talking about a broader problem?
At some point, Miss Universe must confront a much larger problem: these difficulties are not isolated incidents involving a few individuals. When the same types of allegations continue to surface in different countries, with different directors and different titleholders, it raises serious questions about the systems, incentives, and lack of accountability that allow these dynamics to persist. This platform is supposed to promote women's empowerment. Too often, women find themselves navigating structures that permit abuse, discourage transparency, and protect those in positions of power rather than the women the organization claims to serve. Until Miss Universe is prepared to address these systemic issues, these controversies will continue to recur.

"Organizations cannot continually ask the public to trust them while refusing to answer legitimate questions."

Do you think Fatima Bosch should have resigned?
I don't think we can answer that question seriously without having all the facts. What I do know is that I don't believe women should be treated the way many women in this system have been treated, regardless of the accusations involved. Having personally experienced what it means to be publicly attacked, discredited, and judged before all the facts are known, I have no desire to contribute to that.

What should Miss Universe have done in this situation?
What I will say, however, is that Miss Universe should have addressed the controversy directly instead of letting speculation continue unchecked. Transparency builds trust. If the process was fair and the accusations were unfounded, then they should have explained why. If there is evidence to support the decisions made, it should be presented. Organizations cannot continually ask the public for their trust while refusing to answer legitimate questions.

What does this lack of transparency reveal, in your opinion?
If the allegations were unfounded, Miss Universe had a responsibility to state this clearly and protect Fatima from the ensuing wave of public abuse and speculation. And if the organization was unwilling or unable to do so, this inevitably raises questions about whether there were legitimate concerns that warranted investigation, as well as whether the other women involved were treated fairly. In any case, the lack of transparency served no one, undermined trust in the process, and ran counter to the spirit of female empowerment that the organization claims to promote.

"My concerns are based on evidence, not assumptions."

Are you afraid that Miss Israel 2026 will be rigged and that the competition will be fake?
I'm not speculating. I spoke out because I was provided with a video showing organizers discussing what appeared to be a predetermined selection process. The evidence I reviewed also suggested that similar practices may have occurred in other franchises involving some of the same people. My concerns are based on evidence, not assumptions.

What particularly struck you about the organization's response?
What is particularly striking is that the organization's own response seems to have corroborated some of my core concerns, including the fact that there would be no traditional national competition and that participation had been actively encouraged among women who were not Israeli citizens when they initially entered the process. To be clear, I don't believe my own competition was predetermined. However, I have always found it unethical that non-citizens are included in a process designed to select a representative of Israel, when there are millions of Israeli women who deserve the opportunity to have their voices heard on the world stage.

You say your concerns are based on direct evidence. What did this video show?
I am not speculating, as my concerns are based on direct evidence. I spoke out after reviewing a video showing organizers discussing what appeared to be a predetermined selection process involving three women who had, in effect, already been chosen in advance. All three were former runners-up from the previous two years, and none were Israeli citizens at the time they initially competed.

What worried you about this process?
What concerned me was that the process, as described, was not a genuine competition at all, even though it seemed to be presented to the public as if it were a real, actual beauty pageant. I was also troubled by elements suggesting that an application process for 2026 was being publicly promoted when there appeared to be no real intention of holding a traditional competition. If this was the case, then the application process served only to create the appearance of an open opportunity, encouraging women to invest their time, effort, and hopes in applying, despite the slim, if any, chances of actually being considered. Many women contacted me personally to say they had submitted an application and never received a response or any follow-up.

Did these methods also apply to other countries?
The same director oversees several other national franchises, and the video itself included discussions indicating that similar selection methods had also been used in some of these other countries. What is particularly striking is that the organization's own response seems to have corroborated some of my core concerns, including the video's authenticity, the fact that there would be no traditional national competition, and the fact that participation had been actively encouraged among women who were not Israeli citizens when they initially entered the process. To be clear, my own competition was not predetermined. However, I have always found it unethical that non-citizens are included in a process intended to select a representative of Israel, when there are millions of Israeli women who deserve, and would like, the opportunity to have their voices heard on the world stage.

What is your opinion on Raul Rocha?
I don't know Raul Rocha personally, so I can only speak from the outside. What I can say is that it's regrettable that a platform with such potential continues to be surrounded by controversy. Miss Universe should be known for promoting women's empowerment, creating opportunities, and showcasing exceptional women from around the world. Instead, far too much attention continues to be diverted to recurring accusations, leadership controversies, and accountability issues. The organization deserves leadership focused on protecting contestants, building trust, and genuinely promoting women's empowerment, rather than creating, facilitating, or managing the same kinds of controversies year after year.

Why did you decide to speak out?
I spoke out because my commitment, above all else, is to the truth and to what I believe is right. As a woman, I believe I have a responsibility to speak out when I see systems or individuals acting in ways that could harm, exploit, mistreat, or abuse other women. And as an Israeli, I believe I have a responsibility to speak out when I see the authenticity, fairness, or integrity of our ability to represent ourselves compromised.

What has happened since you spoke out?
What is particularly telling is that since I chose to speak out, the threats, reprisals, and attempts to discredit me have continued. In many ways, the response has mirrored the very behavior I described. When accusations involve intimidation, reprisals, and efforts to silence criticism, and the response consists of more intimidation, reprisals, and efforts to silence criticism, it becomes difficult to ignore. If the concerns I raised were truly unfounded, one would expect them to be refuted by the facts. Instead, what followed only made the underlying pattern more apparent.

Why continue despite the personal cost?
The truth is, remaining silent would have been easier. Speaking out has come at a very real personal cost. But I believe that silence in the face of reprehensible acts only allows them to continue. Regardless of the pressure, the threats, and the personal consequences, I will continue to speak the truth as I understand it and to defend what I believe is right.

"True emancipation does not consist of rewarding women who remain silent."

What does it mean to you to be a “disruptive woman”?
And if that makes me a disruptive woman to systems that thrive on silence, then I am perfectly happy to be a disruptive woman. In fact, I am proud to stand alongside the many other "disruptive women" who have chosen to speak out for what they believe is right, despite the reprisals, criticism, and personal consequences that often follow. True empowerment is not about rewarding women who remain silent. It is about ensuring that women can speak the truth without fear. This is the kind of empowerment I will continue to champion.

Interview by Jordi Martin.