Steve Harvey's Miss Universe Gaffe Just a Publicity Stunt?
Steve Harvey took the responsibility when he mistakenly announced Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as Miss Universe 2015 instead of Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach, but there are some saying the supposed gaffe was all a publicity stunt.
On Dec. 21, Miss Universe 2015 host Steve Harvey first announced Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as the winner in the pageant, but a few moments after, he admitted that he made a mistake and the crown really belongs to Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach. Less than a day after the video of the gaffe went viral on social media, conspiracy theorists began saying it was all a ploy to get people to talk about the event, according to The Washington Post.
On Twitter, Harvey posted a message after the mistake. He said it was just a human error, Fox News reports.
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"I'd like to apologize wholeheartedly to Miss Colombia & Miss Philippines for my huge mistake. I feel terrible," Fox quotes Harvey's statement on Twitter.
A Snapchat post by Miss Universe said Harvey initially blamed the teleprompter that read "Miss Universe – Colombia." However, when the host talked to the press, he said he had blurted out "winner" instead of "runner-up" when he called Miss Colombia, the report details.
Last year, the Miss Universe pageant racked up 7.6 million viewers, the highest in 10 years. Since this was the first time that the event aired on Fox, some are saying that the mistaken announcement was a ploy to hike up the pageant's ratings, the report relays.
Another angle being explored is Harvey's attempt to increase his popularity. Twitter user @_KimyaLoder said the host has become the biggest winner in the pageant because he is the center of all the publicity.
Just this year, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump sold the Miss Universe franchise to WME/IMG after he released inflammatory comments about immigrants. There are some saying he was the one behind this mistake.
On Sunday night, the Miss Universe released a statement explaining that the whole mix-up was caused by human error. The organization did not blame any individual for the mistake and apologized to Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez and Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach, including their respective families and fans.
