Dr. Gabrielle Henry, Miss Jamaica and one of the standout contestants at Miss Universe 2025, is preparing to return home after suffering a severe fall during the pageant’s preliminary competition that left her with multiple serious injuries, including an intracranial hemorrhage.
The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) released a detailed update Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, confirming the extent of Henry’s injuries and addressing lingering questions about what happened backstage after she plunged through an opening in the stage during her evening-gown walk on Nov. 19 in Bangkok.
A Life-Threatening Fall
According to the statement, Henry fell through a gap in the stage floor, losing consciousness on impact. She sustained a brain bleed, a fracture, facial injuries, and other trauma that required immediate admission to the intensive care unit.
Henry remained in critical care for several days under round-the-clock neurological monitoring — a detail first revealed by her sister in the days following the accident.
MUO said she is now stable enough to be transported back to Jamaica “in the coming days,” accompanied by a full medical escort and transferred directly to a local hospital for continued treatment.
MUO Says It Assumed “Full Responsibility”
The organization stressed that it has covered Henry’s medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and living expenses for her mother and sister — who have been in Thailand during her recovery. MUO also said it is paying for her medically supervised repatriation flight and future care.
“From the time the incident took place, the Miss Universe Organization has stood beside Gabrielle and her family as if she were their own,” the statement read.
Henry’s family expressed gratitude for what they described as the organization’s compassion and “devotion.”
Claims of Blame Spark Backlash
In the weeks after the fall, the handling of the incident became almost as controversial as the accident itself.
Miss Haiti Melissa Sapini told PEOPLE that pageant contestants were called into a meeting shortly after Henry’s fall — and that a staff member began the briefing by suggesting Henry wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking.
“That was really scary,” Sapini said. “I don’t know that they handled that correctly.”
The host organization, Miss Grand International (MGI), publicly denied blaming Henry but insisted the fall occurred because she “missed her blocking.”
MUO, in its new statement, strongly rejected the accusations.
“Certain media reports suggesting that Dr. Henry contributed in any way to the incident are entirely inaccurate,” the organization said, calling the claims “unfounded and not reflective of the facts.”
Pageant Leadership Responds
Miss Universe co-owner Raúl Rocha also posted the update on Instagram, saying the organization had stayed silent out of respect for Henry’s recovery.
“Thank God our Miss Universe Jamaica is preparing to return home,” he wrote. “From our silence, we prayed for the health and speedy recovery of Dr. Gabrielle.”
Rocha also criticized individuals he accused of exploiting the accident for attention, calling the rumors “cruel and insensitive.”
A Global Outpouring for Miss Jamaica
Henry and her family thanked Jamaicans, the Miss Universe community, and supporters worldwide for the messages, prayers, and encouragement sent over the past three weeks.
As the pageant world debates safety protocols and the handling of Henry’s fall, her focus — and her country’s — is now on recovery.
Her return home is expected to be met with overwhelming support, as Jamaica rallies behind one of its most admired representatives in recent memory.
