As the rift between the two factions continues to deepen.
On Friday, October 9, the MU East (under the legal name Legacy Holding Group, S.A. de C.V.), a master franchise-holder for the Eastern hemisphere, announced that a host country has been selected for the 76th edition of the pageant in 2027.
It is none other than Vietnam, whose selection is said to have been done by MU East as the designated “party in turn” for 2027, where it claimed to bei in charge of the competition’s planning, development, production and execution, such as host-country selection, in accordance with the Agreement’s applicable procedures.
At present, MU East has not yet announced a host city and venue for the 76th edition of the pageant, but it has expressed enthusiasm in working with ither national directors and delegates to “deliver an exceptional competition.”
Coincidentally, Vietnam’s selection comes weeks after the rival faction, which is JKN Universe, LLC (also being called “MU West”) and led by Raul Rocha, declared “void ab initio” MU East’s granting of licenses to use the Miss Universe brand in any territory, as well as the sponsorship agreements, country licenses, franchise agreements and other commercial arrangements.
“The entities through which these arrangements were executed have not entered into any Franchise License Agreement, or a legal licensing instrument, with JKN Universe LLC, the legal holder of the rights to license the Miss Universe brand, nor were they authorized to grant, sublicense, or otherwise confer such rights,” it said.
“Accordingly, any national franchise arrangement executed without a legal licensing framework is unauthorized, void, and confers no valid Miss Universe franchise rights. JKN Universe LLC cannot recognize or accept any rights purportedly granted under such arrangements ” they furthered.
The six affected franchises are all from Southeast Asia and they are Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Following the news, the other camp has also issued a statement to deny the news amd said that it does not recognize the MU East as a body, division, affiliate, or authorized representative of the Miss Universe Organization.
“No individual acting under any such designation has authority to speak for the Organization, conduct negotiations, execute agreements, make commitments, or receive payments on its behalf,” it said.
it also said Tha Vietnam has not been designated as the host country for the 76th Miss Universe Competition in 2027.
“Consistent with Miss Universe tradition, the official host country will be announced at the conclusion of the Miss Universe 75 Final in San Juan, Puerto Rico,” the group added.
“Any earlier announcement, or any announcement made through a channel other than the official channels identified in this statement, has no official effect and should not be regarded as an announcement by the Miss Universe Organization,” they concluded.
