CHELSEA Manalo and Michelle Dee are fully aware that their crowning moment has gone viral. 

Dee, the Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) 2023 titleholder, put the crown on the MUPH 2024 winner, who seemed to be precariously balancing it on her head. Dee eventually fixed the crown properly.

Photo Courtesy: @michellemdee | X

In an interview, the Bulacan beauty queen said that “It’s so funny, I can’t believe I made it to the memes.”

Manalo, who was crowned as Miss Universe Philippines 2024 during the coronation night on May 22, shared what happened from her perspective. 

When Michelle put [the crown] on my head… this has weight, so when she put it on my head, I didn’t feel like it’s gonna fall,” she said. “I felt like it was already sturdy until I had to turn, kaya siya medyo … kaya [naramdaman ko].”

“But afterwards, Michelle fixed it so we could have that really beautiful picture,” she added.

She said that they had discussed that moment, ever since it went viral. 

“We laughed about it,” Manalo said. ‘I think she was also tense, she was nervous, this was her last night, she wanted to just give her best, to really give that crown to the next Miss Universe Philippines.”

Photo Courtesy: @michellemdee | X

Even Dee poked fun at herself on her X (formerly Twitter) post. She shared a screenshot with a caption saying “My mind is still here [laughing emojis]. MICHELLE DEE ANO BA.”

The beauty queen-actress added a screenshot of her fixing Manalo’s crown and said “At least I fixed it [relieved emojis].”

In an Instagram post, she congratulated Manalo and wished her luck on her Miss Universe journey and said that she has a “genuine heart.” 

Netizens had various reactions on the crowning moment gaffe. An X user said, “I need to balance my problems like how Bulacan balances her crown.” 

Another netizen commented, “Me tomorrow at work trying to balance everything after puyatin ng #MissUniversePhilippines2024 org! Congrats, Miss Bulacan Chelsea Manalo! Dazurb.”

With reports from Rizza Mae Escio