Do we like Catriona Gray?
Our score: 8 out of 10. She defended LGBTQ+ rights against a religious pile-on and joined an anti-corruption rally; the record is mostly pageant-world noise, so it stops short of the top.
Catriona Gray is a Filipino-Australian model and singer who was crowned Miss Universe 2018 in Bangkok at 24, the fourth Filipina to take the title. That win turned her into a household name in the Philippines, and she has stayed in the public eye as a singer, a pageant commentator and now an actress.
Her nastiest brush with the public was as the target, not the villain. A fake topless photo of her circulated online in 2020 and was run by a tabloid, and she sued. In September 2024 a Quezon City court found the tabloid's entertainment editor and a writer guilty of libel and handed down jail terms, though both reportedly moved to appeal.
On the harm check, she comes out well. When commenters questioned how her Christian faith squared with backing LGBTQ+ people in 2019, she replied that it “does not limit me from fighting for the rights of others.” I found no anti-LGBTQ+, anti-vax or climate-denial words from her, and no run of dodgy co-stars or platforms either. The coverage is thin on trans-specific comments, so call that a gap rather than a gold star.
She also puts her body where her mouth is. In late November 2025 she gave a speech and led a prayer at an anti-corruption rally on EDSA over alleged flood-control rip-offs, saying “We are the generation who will not let corruption win.” That's a public stand on a sore political subject, in a country where speaking up can attract grief.
The recent noise is small beer. In June 2026 she waded into a heated online argument over who counts as Filipino, saying pride shouldn't hinge on ancestry alone and that people making a positive impact deserve a platform. Then in August came the Miss Universe India no-show, where management blamed unmet conditions and she apologised, and nobody has said what the conditions were.
Not everything she's done is saintly gloss. In November 2025 she questioned the Miss Universe 2025 result and called for clearer judging criteria and an official tabulating firm. That's a pageant stoush, not a moral failing, and her fans largely agreed.