Trump Says Miss Universe Mishap Wouldn't Have Happened Under His Watch
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Donald Trump, who used to own the rights to Miss Universe, says Sunday night's mixup "never would have happened'' under his watch.
Host Steve Harvey incorrectly announced that Colombia's contestant was the new Miss Universe, when she was really first runner-up. She already had put on the crown when Harvey corrected himself, and told the audience that Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach of the Philippines was the true winner.
PHOTOS: 2015 Miss Universe Mix-Up
Trump later softened his tone, telling NBC's Today Show that Harvey is a "great guy'' who handled it well. He said, "Things happen. It's live television.''
Trump says if he were still in charge of the show, he'd make the women share the title, saying that would be "very cool.''
Harvey said he took full responsibility for the mistake, and that he misread the card that named Wurtzbach this year's winner and Colombia's Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo the first runner-up.
A mystified Wurtzbach appeared stunned as she walked to the front of the stage alongside the crown-wearing Arevalo before last year's Miss Universe from Colombia removed the crown and placed it on Wurtzbach's head instead.
NBCUniversal and Trump co-owned the Miss Universe Organization until earlier this year. The real-estate developer offended Hispanics in June when he made anti-immigrant remarks in announcing his Republican presidential run.
That led Spanish-language network Univision to pull out of the broadcast for what would have been the first of five years airing the pageants and NBC to cut business ties with Trump.
The former star of the "Celebrity Apprentice" reality show sued both companies, settling with NBC in September, which included buying the network's stake in the pageants.
That same month, Trump sold the organization that includes the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants to entertainment company WME-IMG.
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