Filipinos, known for their strong support of beauty pageants, reacted to unconfirmed reports that Miss Universe Organization (MUO) owner Anne Jakrajutatip resigned from JKN Global Group.
At least three Thai news outlets have reported Anne’s resignation following allegations of falsified financial statements made by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Thailand.
On Friday, June 6, Kaohoon International reported that the SEC said Anne was among those who committed or consented to “the inclusion of false information and/or the preparation of incomplete, inaccurate, or misleading financial statements for the fiscal year 2023 and accounting documents for the first quarter of 2024.”
Kaohoon International calls itself the “Independent Voice of the Thai Capital Market.”
“Following the files of complaint, the company CEO Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip and Director Pimauma Jakrajutatip have submitted their resignation letters to the company, resigning from their positions as directors, subcommittee members, and executives of the company, effective from June 5, 2025, onward,” the report said.
Another report from Khaosod English said that Anne is “expected to leave Miss Universe” after being “forced to resign from all company positions” of the JKN Global Group.
It also said that the JKN had informed Thailand’s stock exchange that it had sold ordinary shares in JKN Legacy Inc., an entity operating the MUO and owning the copyright to the Miss Universe Brand, to Mexico’s Legacy Holding Group USA Inc. (LHG) to become co-owners in a 50:50 split.
Anne purchased the MUO for $20 million in 2022, making history as the first transgender woman to own the beauty pageant organizer.
Meanwhile, some pageant-focused pages in the Philippines shared posts about Anne’s alleged resignation from JKN Global Group and its possible impact on the MUO.
Filipinos commented on these reports.
“Wag kami, dai,” an online user, who is skeptical of the alleged move, said.
“Paula Shugart, plssss [please] come back,” another Facebook user wrote, referring to former longtime MUO president Paula Shugart.
“Gumulo na talaga ang MUO,” a different Pinoy said.
“Para hindi halata ang pangdadaya, hahahaha,” another wrote.
“Ang tagal hong hinintay ‘to,” another commented.
“Palagi bankrupt, mali ang humahawak ng Miss U, puro cooking show,” a different Pinoy said.
On May 29, the MUO said that Anne was still the chief executive officer of the organization.
It added that she, as CEO and co-owner, “has the primary focus of guiding this iconic brand towards sustainable growth, revenue diversification, and global expansion.”
As of this writing, neither the MUO nor JKN Global Group has released any statement regarding Anne’s alleged resignation.
There have been no posts on the Thai mogul’s social media accounts regarding the allegations so far.
