A transgender woman media tycoon from Thailand paid $20 million (£17.1 million) to acquire the Miss Universe pageant corporation.
The CEO of the Thai television production company JKN Global Group is Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip.
She has acted in the popular reality programmes Project Runway and Shark Tank in Thai.
As the pageant becomes more diverse, she buys the business that Donald Trump formerly co-owned.
Speaking openly about her experiences as a transgender woman, Ms. Jakrajutatip.
The Miss Universe Organization, she claimed in a statement, was a “strong, strategic addition” to her business’s portfolio.
“We strive to evolve the brand for the next generation as well as continue its legacy of giving a platform to enthusiastic people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and traditions,” she continued.
Amy Emmerich, the chief executive of the Miss Universe Organization, and Paula Shugart, its president, declared that “our partnerships with global partners and companies have never been better, and our progressive strategy continues to put us at the forefront of our industry.”
From 1996 through 2015, Mr. Trump co-owned the Miss Universe Organization.
After two television partners declared they would not air the pageant due to comments Mr. Trump made against illegal immigrants during his 2016 presidential campaign, the former US president decided to sell the business.
When former Miss Universe Alicia Machado alleged Mr. Trump nicknamed her “Miss Piggy,” he received additional criticism.
The model from Venezuela said that the comments were made when she put on weight after winning a contest in 1996.
After the business was sold to the US entertainment agency WME-IMG in 2015, Mr. Trump released a statement saying, “When I bought the pageants many years ago, they were in terrible trouble.”
