Steve Harvey can finally start to put Miss Universe behind him.
The host of the Steve Harvey Show has been the subject of scorn and a lot of social media ridicule ever since he hosted the annual pageant in December and accidentally crowned the wrong woman Miss Universe. Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutiérrez, had the crown yanked off of her head and given to Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach. The moment has gone down in pop culture history, with Jamie Foxx even parodying it at the Golden Globes.
But now Harvey has invited both Gutiérrez and the rightful Miss Universe, Wurtzbach, onto his show for a redemptive two-part episode, “Miss Universe: The Truth.” The host sat down with Wurtzbach Monday to talk about the moment in question.
“This is the part that kept me up at night,” Harvey said to her. “What were you thinking when I came back onstage?”
“When I was called first-runner up I was thinking, ‘It’s OK Pia, you made it this far. There are 79 other beautiful girls in this pageant and to be first-runner up is already a big deal.’ Especially seeing the reaction of the Filipino community there. … When you came back out I was surprised just like everybody else. Of course when you announced me as the winner I was very excited. I was happy. But I guess it was mixed feelings as well. Because I was concerned for Ariadna.”
Gutiérrez will appear on the show Tuesday, but clips of the episode have already been released online, including the reunion between her and Harvey, where the two share a long embrace.
Harvey also offered her a tearful apology for the whole affair. “You’re the one person,” he said, struggling to keep himself together. “You’re the one person that I really wanted to talk to. Because of the mistake I made I cast you into a spotlight, a place that I never intended to. That I would not want to happen to anybody. I just want to say how sorry I am. I’m really — I’m beyond sorry for what happened that night and that it was you.”
“Really at the end of the day,” he continued, “I hope we walk away from here with something special.”
utiérrez seems to be taking the whole thing in stride.
“You have to learn how to read cards,” she playfully retorted to Harvey when he asked her about the moment. “Because it was on the card.”
“You wanted me to win,” she continued joking, which Harvey responded to with a resounding, “Yes! I’m off the hook, hell that’s it. I wanted you to win, I can leave it at that.”
The full interview will air on The Steve Harvey Show on Tuesday.