Getty Reigning Miss Universe Iris Mittenaere and the Miss Universe contestants pose for photos in #VegasStrong shirts at a welcome event at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on November 16, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Tonight at 7 p.m. ET/PT (time delayed) on the FOX network, Steve Harvey returns as the host of the 2017 Miss Universe Pageant. This year, there are 92 hopefuls vying for the title and Miss France Iris Mittenaere will relinquish her 2016 crown to only one of them. As for the red carpet live stream, it will reportedly air on MissUniverse.com. In addition, the website and Miss U app will provide users with exclusive content and highlights from the event. Plus-size model Ashley Graham returns as the backstage host of the event and she recently spoke with FOX News about her Miss Universe gig. One of the reasons that Graham wanted to come back to the event, she says, was that, “I think that it’s really important that we continue to show diversity of all sizes, ethnicities, backgrounds and religion. So for me, I’m here to show diversity of size! Because not yet have we had a curvy girl in Miss Universe or even in the Miss USA pageant.” Graham says she thinks that one day, the world will see a plus-size Miss Universe winner. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch Fox online, on your phone or on another streaming device like an Amazon Fire TV or Roku via one of the following over-the-top, cable-free, live-TV streaming services. They cost a monthly fee but all come with a free trial, so you can watch tonight’s show for free if you’re in a select market:
FuboTV: Fox (live in 70-plus markets) is included in the “Fubo Premier” channel package, which is $19.99 per month for the first two months and $39.99 per month after that. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app
DirecTV Now: Fox (live in 39 markets) is included in all four channel packages, ranging from $35 to $70 per month. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app
Sling TV: Fox (live in 17 markets) is included in the “Sling Blue” channel package for $25 per month. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app
So, is President Donald Trump still involved with the Miss Universe Organization? He owned the organization for many years, but, as of 2015, the organization has been owned by IMG. Elite Daily reports that Trump bought the organization in 1996 and sold it to WME/IMG in 2015. Trump actually co-owned the organization with NBC starting in 2002, but NBC cut ties with him after Trump made comments that were deemed offensive, about Mexican culture, when he announced his presidential campaign. At the time, Trump had said, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
Trump sold the organization in 2015, the same year that host Steve Harvey made a monumental mistake. Harvey announced the wrong name as the winner of the 2015 Miss Universe competition. In a cringe-worthy mess-up, Miss Colombia put on the crown, walked to the end of the stage and everything, but she was not the winner. Miss Philippines actually won. About a minute after Miss Colombia was announced as the winner, Steve Harvey approached the front of the stage and said he had to make an announcement. Harvey then revealed that he had made a mistake and that Miss Philippines was the true winner. The camera then panned over to Miss Philippines and Miss USA, showing the horror and upset on their faces in reaction to the blunder. Miss Colombia had to return the crown immediately so that Miss Philippines could take her victory walk. After the big mistake, Harvey apologized online and to the media, as did the Miss Universe Organization as a whole.
