*Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte does not want Steve Harvey returning as host of the Miss Universe 2016 pageant, which will take place in January in Manila.
Harvey was a first-time host in 2015 when he misread his cue card and announced Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutiérrez as the winner and Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach as first runner-up.
Gutiérrez was crowned before Harvey realized his mistake — that it was actually Miss Philippines who won – and Duterte is holding a grudge.
“He cannot host. I am going to talk to the Miss Universe that he cannot host so that is my problem,” Duterte told tourism secretary Wanda Teo (translated by CNN Philippines) during a press conference on Thursday. “I don’t want him to be the host of the Miss Universe.”
However, due to a five-year contract, Harvey will remain as host, Teo said. “So the President will not get mad, we may add a Filipina to co-host,” Teo said.
Harvey said he felt horrible about the mistake and even invited both Wurtzbach and Gutiérrez to his talk show following the pageant, during which Harvey apologized to them.
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