MANILA, Philippines — Following the opposition of President Rodrigo Duterte on Steve Harvey hosting the pageant again, which will be held in the Philippines next year, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach posted a throwback photo of her with the host during her own coronation night.
Some people speculated that this could be Wurtzbach's way of saying she has no qualms on having the American comedian as Miss Universe comeback host.
"#TBT to the night that changed my life. @IAmSteveHarvey let's do it again and change someone else's life," the caption read.
#TBT to the night that changed my life. @IAmSteveHarvey let's do it again and change someone else's life. pic.twitter.com/Ah90OS0v71
— Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (@MissUniverse) September 1, 2016
Harvey mistakenly named Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as the new Miss Universe in December last year. The 64-year-old host was swiftly forgiven by Wurtzbach. In a sitdown interview at Harvey's show, Wurtzbach told the host to ease up and move forward.
On Thursday, Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, in a press briefing in Malacañang said Duterte wants Harvey out of the pageant.
"When I told the president about that, he reacted negatively. He said ‘That cannot be.' That was what he said. And he said ‘I'm going to talk to the Miss Universe (organizers) that he should not be (the emcee). So that's my problem," Teo said.
Apparently though, Harvey has signed a multi-year contract with the Miss Universe Organization, meaning the deal is to last three years, possibly even as many as seven pageants.
To appease the president, Teo suggested having a Filipino co-host.