Meet Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, the Thai trans millionaire who just bought the Miss Universe pageant – so how’d she go from gas station worker to third richest transgender person in the world?
- The Thai transgender business mogul bought the MUO pageant from IMG as its first female owner ever – former US president Donald Trump ran it before that
- She’s starred in Thailand’s versions of Project Runway and Shark Tank, is the CEO of JKN Global Media, and counts celebrities like Dennis Trillo and Alden Richards as pals
Thai transgender business mogul Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip just made history as the first woman to own global beauty pageant Miss Universe Organization in its 71-year history. The news, which was shared by Jakrajutatip’s company on October 26, marks a phenomenal milestone for the multimillionaire, with the deal costing an estimated US$20 million, according to NBC.
With gorgeous, model-like looks and a six million follower count on her Instagram page, the 43-year-old has been making waves in the business world for a while now. Jakrajutatip has even appeared in local versions of Project Runway and Shark Tank in her home country, per NBC.
She’s also known for supporting trans awareness in Thailand by setting up the Life Inspired for Transsexual Foundation (LIFT), which advocates for transgender rights.
Here’s what to know about Miss Universe’s new owner …
Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip’s gender journey
During an interview for Bangkok Post, Jakrajutatip claimed that, before her transition, she studied in an all-male school in Thailand where she was bullied by her classmates and even sexually harassed by her teacher because of her gender identity. This led her drop out and she later started working at a gas station to support herself. Eventually she left her home country to study in Sydney, Australia instead.
Jakrajutatip told The Times of India that she always felt like a woman, but her parents weren’t supportive of her. She said that she would often put on her mother’s clothes as a child and wanted to become a girl. Despite her parents’ opposition, she began her transition while she was studying in Sydney. However, she decided to retain her original deep baritone voice, as she considers it a part of her identity too.