The current Miss Universe, Mexico's Andrea Meza, says in a statement that she hopes 'as many people as possible' get vaccinated so they can participate in the 70th Miss Universe contest.
- Jul 21, 2021
AceShowbiz - Steve Harvey has booked a return to the Miss Universe. The stepfather of Lori Harvey, who skipped the 2020 beauty pageant, will host this year's show that will take place in Eilat, Israel, in December 2021.
The "Celebrity Family Feud" host, who famously said the wrong name while announcing the winner of Miss Universe back in 2015, confirmed the report via Twitter on Tuesday, July 20. "We're back @MissUniverse," he simply declared.
Steve has fronted the beauty pageant from 2015 to 2019. However, he was replaced by actor Mario Lopez and former winner of Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo in its 69th edition.
The pageant will be held just seven months after Miss Mexico Andrea Meza was crowned in May. She was named the Miss Universe 2020 after the competition had to be postponed for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Being the only Miss Universe crowned during the COVID-19 pandemic has made my reign unforgettable," Andrea said in a statement. "I hope that the world takes the vaccine as soon as it is available so that, come December, as many people as possible can join the 70th anniversary celebration in Israel."
Paula Shugart, a president of the Miss Universe organization, claimed the pageant chose Israel as the host country because of its "rich history." She told the press, "As we sought a location for our 70th anniversary celebration, it became clear through our conversations with acting mayor Lankri and the Israeli Ministry of Tourism that Israel, which has done a good job containing the global pandemic, has the best resources to host Miss Universe in December.
Paula went on to add, "We look forward to deepening our commitment to creating meaningful cultural conversation, connection, and understanding through this partnership."
The three-hour event will broadcast live on FOX in the United States and also in 180 countries and territories across the globe.
