The newly crowned Miss Universe is facing backlash after posting a video over the weekend that appears to show her lip-syncing a racial slur from a Jay-Z song. Danish model Victoria Kjaer Theilvig sparked outrage after mouthing the lyrics to “Empire State of Mind,” which includes the n-word, in a nearly 20-second TikTok video filmed atop the Empire State Building.
Theilvig, who represented Denmark, won the 73rd Miss Universe title on November 16 in Mexico City, competing against 120 contestants from other countries. Her win was viewed by several critics as a major victory for the “anti-woke” movement, following the controversial 2023 competition, which included married, plus-sized, and transgender contestants.
Courting Controversy
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In a video shared from the Empire State Building, the Danish pageant winner sang along to Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind,” which contains the N-word. Social media users quickly condemned Theilvig for using the slur, demanding an apology and calling for her to be stripped of her title.
One social media user commented, “I can’t believe I’m witnessing this in real time,” while another wrote, “Girl WHAT?!”
“Hey so, this is crazy,” another person wrote.
Another TikTok account argued, “They gonna take that crown.”
TikTok user Majin Mo, who posted a video questioning whether Theilvig would apologize, said, “I feel like she needs to be decrowned; an apology is not enough.”
Some users discussed whether she began lip-syncing immediately after Jay-Z raps the N-word in the New York-themed track. “Yall are some haters she clearly was smiling,” a user insisted.
Neither the Miss Universe organization nor Theilvig have publicly responded to the controversy.
Some believe the incident may go unpunished, citing previous remarks by CEO Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, the first trans woman to fully own the Miss Universe organization, who has made controversial statements about diversity and inclusion.
Controversy Doesn’t End
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Jakrajutatip had once said in a leaked video that while women from diverse backgrounds can participate in the pageant, they “cannot win.”
“The trans women, the women with husbands, divorced women… This is a communication strategy, because, you understand… they can compete, but they cannot win. We just put the policy out there. Social inclusion, as people would say,” the Thai media mogul said in the video.
This year’s Miss Universe pageant marked a return to tradition, with a cisgender woman winning the crown.
This follows recent years of growing inclusivity, which saw transgender contestants like Miss Spain 2018 Angela Ponce and Miss Netherlands 2022 Rikkie Valerie Kolle competing.
The move back to more traditional Western beauty standards triggered a flurry of online reactions, with some users expressing shock while others welcomed the return to what they considered “normalcy.”
