Miss Universe Faces Backlash for Allegedly Lip-Syncing Racial Slur

Miss Universe Victoria Kjær Theilvig is facing criticism for lip-syncing a racial slur from a Jay-Z song lyric.

MISS UNIVERSE UNDER FIRE FOR LIP SYNCING RACIAL SLUR

Victoria Kjær Theilvig, who hails from Denmark was crowned Miss Universe 2024 by outgoing Miss Universe Sheynnis Palacios on 17 November. While Victoria made history as the first-ever Danish Miss Universe, she has already come under fire.

The newly crowned Miss Universe has been under criticism after a video resurfaced of her lip-synching Jay Z’s Empire State of Mind including the N-word in a TikTok clip. The video has since been taken down.

The New York Post reports that Victoria was unaware that the lyrics would offend and deleted the video once she knew.

“Both Victoria and our team recognize the importance of fostering an environment of respect, inclusivity, and cultural awareness in everything we do,” said the Miss Universe Organisation in a statement.

“This moment has been a valuable reminder of our responsibility to remain sensitive to the diverse perspectives of our global community,” read the statement.

CHIDIMMA ADETSHINA CROWNED MISS UNIVERSE RUNNER-UP

While Victoria was crowned Miss Universe, former Miss SA finalist, who represented Nigeria, was crowned the runner-up. Chidimma has since revealed that she is stepping away from pageantry to focus on her education.

“I am putting pageant to bed. I’m going to focus more on my education and establishing who Chidimma is. More into runways. So many things I would like to touch on and see where my potential can go to,” she said in an interview with BBC Pidgin.