Steve Harvey ??Miss Universe/Miss Colombia? Regret, Death Threats And Apologies To Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez

Steve Harvey is still dealing with backlash from his embarrassing Miss Universe gaff in December. The Family Feud host, speaking with the Today Show‘s host, Natalie Morales, recently revealed that he has received death threats after he accidentally announced the wrong winner of the Miss Universe Pageant, reports Us Magazine. Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez was also with Harvey for the interview on Tuesday, January 19, right after they had filmed their two-part special, Miss Universe: The Truth.

“I blew it in a big moment. And the person that was hurt the most was Gutierrez,” Steve Harvey said to Morales. “That was the greatest regret for me.”

Harvey, 59, experienced more than death threats, as social media was lit on fire with memes and insulting jokes regarding his blunder. In December of 2015, during the live televised Miss Universe Pageant, Steve Harvey was mistaken when reading the winner on the card in the envelope. Harvey accidentally gave the Miss Universe crown to Gutierrez, 22, instead of Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach, who was the actual winner. During the interview with Natalie Morales, Ariadna shared how she felt having to give the crown back only moments after receiving it, and also stated that she has since forgiven Harvey for the public mistake and seems to be carrying on with pride.

“It was the happiest four minutes and a half that I ever had,” Ariadna Gutierrez told Morales. “I have been able to make an entire country happy. But after that, I felt horrible. I was crying a lot. Now I can say, ‘OK, it was the worst night of my life, but it was the best one, too.’ ”

For Miss Universe: The Truth, which will air on his daytime talk show, Steve Harvey sat with Ariadna and talked everything out, with plenty of hugs as well as apologies. The comedian wanted to make sure he gave her a proper apology and one that she deserved.

“You’re the one person that I really wanted to talk to, because of a mistake I made, I cast you into a spotlight or place that I never intended to, that I would not want to happen to anybody,” Harvey said to Gutierrez. “I just want to say how sorry I am.”

“For the country of Colombia, I never intended for this moment to be. For your country, but especially for the two of you,” Harvey said. “This finally gives me a chance to have a moment of closure. I wanted you to understand sincerely from my heart how I am as a person. That I would never do that as a publicity stunt.”

Steve Harvey firmly defended his claim that he did not purposefully crown the wrong Miss Universe contestant for any kind of publicity, mentioning that his family — his wife and children — received death threats, with security surrounding his personal home. Harvey is comfortable with the level of fame that he currently has, and has no reason to pull any kind of stunt like that to give himself more attention. Answering a question from an audience member on his talk show, Steve said that his face was all over the media in Italy, as they called him a man with great integrity, with Dubai and Malessa also writing positive things about Harvey and how he handled the Miss Universe gaff.

“It caused a lot of sleepless nights in my house,” Harvey continued. “But no matter how tough that was for me, I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like for you. And I felt horrible for that.”

Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez has also been in contact with 26-year-old Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach, according to Us Magazine. Wurtzbach told Us that she got in contact with Ariadna after the fiasco and said Gutierrez replied. What was discussed between the two of them remained a secret.

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