Dr. Gabrielle Henry, a former Miss Universe contestant representing Jamaica, has filed a lawsuit against the Miss Universe Organization and others, alleging negligence following a serious fall from the pageant stage nearly a year ago.
Henry, Miss Jamaica 2025, detailed the lasting impact of the November 2025 incident in a personal essay published by People on Sept. 23, 2026. The medical doctor said she fell through what she described as an “unguarded” opening in the stage during the preliminary rounds of the pageant.
“The fall permanently altered the course of my life,” Henry wrote, describing the incident as a moment when “a beautiful moment became a shattered dream.”
Her essay was published two days after she filed a lawsuit in Delaware Superior Court against the Miss Universe Organization and other parties. The lawsuit alleges negligence, including inadequate supervision of the pageant’s producer, Thailand-based Miss Grand International, as well as premises liability and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Miss Universe Organization officials initially described Henry’s injuries as “a couple of minor wounds.” Weeks later, however, the organization acknowledged in a December statement that the incident had resulted in “significant injuries.” The organization said it took “full and immediate responsibility without hesitation,” including covering Henry’s medical expenses.
In the lawsuit filed Sept. 21, 2026, Henry alleges that adequate safety protocols were not in place during the event and that aesthetics were prioritized over contestant safety.
According to the lawsuit, Henry was walking across the stage when intense lighting temporarily obscured her view. She alleges there was no illumination beyond the edge of the stage before she fell into an unmarked, uncovered opening approximately five feet deep. The opening reportedly contained concrete and lighting equipment.
Henry alleges the opening was not barricaded or illuminated and had no warning sign. She also claims that no safety markers were placed around the area during rehearsals or the live broadcast, despite contestants raising concerns about the stage.
The fall allegedly caused severe and lasting injuries. According to the lawsuit, Henry lost consciousness on impact and suffered a traumatic brain injury, including an acute subarachnoid hemorrhage, frontal-lobe hemorrhagic contusion and subdural hemorrhage. She also sustained facial lacerations and a fracture.
During a Sept. 24 interview with Good Morning America, Henry said she has no memory of the fall. She recalled that her first memory afterward was seeing her mother standing over her with a concerned expression before she lost consciousness again.
In her People essay, Henry said she also suffered collapsed lungs that filled with fluid, severe back pain, debilitating headaches and memory loss.
She described the experience of recovering from her traumatic brain injury as an “out-of-body experience,” saying it felt as though she had returned to a life that no longer felt like her own.
“You come back knowing something within you has become misaligned, out of place …” she wrote. “Your thoughts lag behind time, and certain memories become hard to grasp.”
Henry was hospitalized intermittently in Bangkok and Jamaica from November 2025 through March 2026. She said the injuries prevented her from completing her medical residency and have complicated her career in ophthalmology, leaving her facing continuing uncertainty about her future as a doctor.
