Miss Colombia told Steve Harvey to “learn how to read cards” and to stop getting names wrong, as the two met publicly for the first time since the comedian’s epic Miss Universe screw up.
Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, sat down with Harvey on his talk show to discuss his blunder during the Miss Universe pageant in December when he incorrectly named her as the winner. The half-hour interview is set to air later on Tuesday.
Harvey is already releasing some clips from the show on YouTube, and from the looks of it, Miss Colombia doesn’t seem to be holding a grudge against the comedian any longer. She even had some fun at his expense.
“You really wanted me to win,” she joked in a clip, drawing applause from the audience.
Harvey, however, is still trying to make up for his colossal mistake. In another clip, he tearfully apologizes to Gutierrez for embarrassing her in public. “I am beyond sorry for what happened that night,” Harvey said.
When Harvey read her name, Gutierrez briefly believed she’d been crowned Miss Universe and celebrated on live TV. But a few minutes later, Harvey came back on stage to say the judges had actually picked Miss Philippines.
The embarrassing incident prompted Miss Colombia to retreat from public view for several days while she recovered from the emotional impact of having the Miss Universe crown nabbed from her in front of millions of viewers.
“It was like a nightmare,” she told Harvey.
But the 22-year-old beauty queen seems to be over it. In the interview, Gutierrez laughs about the incident and hugs Harvey, who denied accusations he had missed rehearsals and failed to prepare to host the event.
“I don’t want the people of Colombia to think for even just a moment that this was part of a publicity stunt,” Harvey said.
Since the incident, Gutierrez has reportedly been negotiating ad deals with Burger King and Corona. She also turned down a million dollar contract in the porn industry.
“I’ve already moved on,” she says. “This is our destiny and that’s why we are here.”
Manuel Rueda is a correspondent for Fusion, covering Mexico and South America. He travels from donkey festivals, to salsa clubs to steamy places with cartel activity.