Alicia Machado

Yoseph Alicia Machado Fajardo (Template:IPA; born December 6, 1976) is a Venezuelan-American actress, TV host, singer and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1996, she previously crowned Miss Venezuela 1995. She was the fourth woman from Venezuela to be named Miss Universe.

Early life

Machado was born in Maracay, Venezuela. Her father was a toy store owner who emigrated from Spain and her mother's family emigrated from Cuba prior to the Cuban revolution.<ref name="Terra"/><ref name="Martin, Lydia">Template:Cite news</ref> Machado took to performing at an early age. She began dancing at age four and acting at age 12.<ref name="Terra"/> Machado attended college for a year and a half but left to pursue modeling and appearing in commercials.<ref name="Terra">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Career

Machado won the 1995 Miss Maracay pageant,<ref name="Martin, Lydia"/> and then the 1995 Miss Venezuela pageant representing Yaracuy state and then the Miss Universe 1996 crown in Las Vegas. Early in her training, she refused plastic surgery recommended to her, notable in Venezuelan beauty pageant culture.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The runner-up, Jacqueline Aguilera, also won the Miss World 1995 crown, marking the second time that two Venezuelans from the same pageant won two world titles. Machado's reign came as American businessman Donald Trump took ownership of the Miss Universe pageant. While preparing for Miss Universe, Machado underwent intense dieting. Machado said that, when she won, she weighed Template:Convert and was anorexic and bulimic.<ref name="Martin, Lydia"/>

During her reign as Miss Universe, Machado gained what she said was about Template:Convert in weight,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> drawing considerable press attention.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The President of Miss Universe Organization denied that the organization was considering replacing her with runner-up, Taryn Mansell of Aruba.<ref name="Martin, Lydia"/> After mounting pressure to lose weight from Trump and other pageant officials, Machado asked Trump to assist her with orienting toward a healthier lifestyle. Trump arranged for 80 reporters to "watch [her] sweat" in a gym, which Machado later called "in very bad taste".<ref name="Martin, Lydia"/> This scandal catapulted her directly to world fame, making her the most popular Miss Universe in history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1998 Machado had her first starring telenovela role as the title character in Samantha. In 2001, she had a small role on the international soap opera Secreto de Amor. During 2004–2005, she pursued a career as a TV commercial model with particular success in promoting a dieting product.

In 2005, Machado appeared on a Spanish reality show called La Granja de los celebrities, whose participation generated headlines in the press in Spain, Mexico, Miami and Venezuela, for having sex in front of the cameras with her partner on the program, Fernando Acaso, while still engaged to Venezuelan baseball player Bob Abreu.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On February 19, 2006, Machado debuted on the Mexican reality show Cantando por un sueño ("Singing for a Dream").

Machado appeared in (and on the cover of) the February 2006 issue of Playboy magazine's Mexican edition, becoming the only Miss Universe to pose nude for that magazine.<ref>Alicia Machado Pose For Playboy Template:Webarchive</ref> Machado was cast in the comedic soap opera Una familia con suerte where she played a woman who fell in love with her brother's enemy. The show began airing in Mexico in February 2011 and in the United States in October of that same year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She again posed nude for the July 2010 issue of the Mexican edition of Playboy.<ref name="El Comercio">Template:Cite news</ref>

On September 9, 2012, Machado was one of ten competitors on the third season of Mira quién baila. On November 18, 2012, Alicia won third place in the third season of Univision's dance competition Mira quién baila. In 2013, Machado starred as the protagonist of La Madame, a television serial produced by RTI Productions and RCN TV in Colombia. In February 2014, she joined Univision's beauty pageant Nuestra Belleza Latina 2014 as a mentor where she coach the participants on how to succeed in the modeling and television industry.

In 2017, she posed nude for PETA's "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur," ad campaign.<ref>Kate Feldman, "Alicia Machado strips down for PETA ad — ‘I'd rather go naked than wear fur’" New York Daily News, 12 April 2017.</ref>

In 2019 she was part of the cast of the play Divinas, she also participated in the Latin movie, He matado a mi marido ("I have killed my husband").<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2021 she competed in the Colombian version of the MasterChef Celebrity.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On May 23, 2021, she premiered her celebrity interview show Whats Up Alicia, produced by Machado. It will initially be broadcast in Venezuela, through Venevisión, to later be launched in other countries in Latin America such as Mexico, and the United States.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2021, Machado appeared as a contestant in the first season of the reality television series La casa de los famosos. She went on to win the competition with 40,586,129 votes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Subsequently, she appeared in the second and fifth seasons as a panelist on Sunday episodes, providing commentary on the events that took place throughout the week.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2025, Machado joined Telemundo's beauty pageant Miss Universe Latina, el reality as a captain of Team Emerald, guiding the contestants based on her own experience.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Involvement in politics

Anti-Trump protester with sign reading "I Am Alicia Machado" during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

In 1998, Machado publicly supported the presidential campaign of Henrique Salas Römer.Template:Citation needed In 2010 she criticized populist Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez in an interview with Playboy.<ref name="El Comercio"/>

In July 2015, after Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign, Machado announced that she would publish a book detailing what she called his "abuses of power" and "racism".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She said that, during her year as Miss Universe, Trump called her "Miss Piggy" because she gained weight and "Miss Housekeeping" because of her Hispanic background. Trump's spokeswoman denied that Trump had made those insults.<ref name=gryn/> Machado has repeatedly called Trump a "nazi rat", compared him to Hugo Chavez and Adolf Hitler, and said that he was capable of starting a new Holocaust.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=cindy/>

On September 26, 2016, Hillary Clinton brought up Machado's statements against Trump during the first presidential debate. The following day, Trump responded on Fox and Friends, describing Machado as "impossible" and saying that "she gained a massive amount of weight and it was a real problem. We had a real problem. Not only that, her attitude, and we had a real problem with her."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Later that week, Trump made a series of tweets in which he called her "disgusting," condemned Clinton's judgement for not "checking her past", falsely claimed she had appeared in a "sex tape", and baselessly accused Clinton of using her influence to help Machado become an American citizen.<ref name="CBSNews">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="WaPoTweets">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Politico">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYTtweets">Template:Cite news</ref>

The tweets were condemned in editorials in the Los Angeles Times<ref name="LATEditorial">Template:Cite web</ref> and The Globe and Mail.<ref name=GlobeMailEditorial>The real Donald Trump, everyone. The Globe and Mail, 2 October 2016</ref> John Cassidy of The New Yorker wrote that Trump's "original comments about Machado reeked of sexism and racism" while his subsequent series of tweets "highlighted, anew, his impulsiveness and lack of discipline."<ref name=NewYorker>John Cassidy, The Meaning of Trump's Early-Morning Tweet Storm, The New Yorker, 30 September 2016.</ref> The following day, Clinton telephoned Machado to thank her for her support.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Beginning in June 2016, Machado publicly campaigned in support of Hillary Clinton.<ref name=cindy>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Barbaro, Michael (September 27, 2016). "Shamed and Angry: Alicia Machado, a Miss Universe Mocked by Donald Trump". The New York Times.</ref> The Clinton campaign coordinated many of her media appearances, featured her in two online advertisements, and used her to introduce Clinton at a campaign rally.<ref name="gryn">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life

In 1998, a Venezuelan judge accused Machado of threatening to kill him while he was presiding over a case against her then-boyfriend for attempted murder. Machado was also accused of driving the boyfriend's getaway car. Machado denied both accusations and was never charged with a crime. The controversy caused a media sensation in Venezuela unseen since the conviction of President Carlos Andrés Pérez.<ref name="gryn"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Ex-Miss Universe stars in real-life Venezuela soap Reuters, via Hurriyet Daily News, 2/7/1998</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Machado once dated professional baseball player Bobby Abreu; the couple later split, calling off their engagement.<ref>Jesse Sanchez, 'Comedulce' a hero in his country: Phillies' Abreu often underrated in the United States, MLB.com (June 12, 2006).</ref><ref>Mike Berardino, Mom, this homer is for you, Orlando Sentinel (May 15, 2005).</ref>

In 2010, responding to being mocked on Twitter after mistakenly referring to North and South Korea as China, Machado closed her Twitter account and wrote, "I now have a lot of psychopaths on the account and it's best I start another one, kisses."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Machado has one daughter. In 2013, after being diagnosed with breast cancer, Machado underwent a double mastectomy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In May 2016, Machado became a U.S. citizen.<ref>Bruces, Rubén (May 20, 2016) "¡En hora buena! Alicia Machado obtuvo la ciudadanía americana"</ref>

In June 2019 in statements to the Hispanic show business program, Suelta la sopa, she talked about her bisexuality, claiming to have had girlfriends.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

In November 2025, Machado drew criticism for racist remarks made during a livestream about Thai pageant organiser Nawat Itsaragrisil, who was embroiled in a controversy of his own at Miss Universe 2025, in which she referred to him as "that despicable Chinese", mocked people with "slanted eyes", and made derogatory remarks about Thailand. Her comments, seen as derogatory toward Asians, sparked backlash across social media and condemnation from pageant figures, including Filipino publicist Josh Yugen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	The Nanny	Herself
1998	Samantha	Samantha del Llano	Lead role
1999	Infierno en el paraíso	Marian Ordiales	Lead role
2000	Estamos Unidos	Mari
2002	Mambo y canela	Canela
2005	La Granja	Herself	Contestant Finished 8th place
2007	Nuestra Belleza Latina 2007	Herself	Judge
2007	El Pantera	Diana Rodríguez	Season 1
2007	Amor sin maquillaje	Marina Fernández Rosales
2009	Los simuladores	Camila	Episode: "El precio de la fama"
2009Template:Ndash2010	Hasta que el dinero nos separe	Karen Sandoval	Supporting role
2009Template:Ndash2010	Atrévete a soñar	Electra	Guest star
2011Template:Ndash2012	Una familia con suerte	Candelaria "Candy" López
2012	2012 Premios Juventud	Herself	Host
	Mira quien baila		Contestant Finished 3rd place
2012Template:Ndash2013	Porque el amor manda	Candela	Guest star
2013	La Madame	Madame Rochy "La Madame"	Lead role
2014	Nuestra Belleza Latina 2014	Herself	Mentor/team leader
2015	Lo imperdonable	Claudia Ordaz
2021	MasterChef Celebrity México	Herself	Contestant
2021Template:Ndashpresent	La casa de los famosos	Herself	Housemate (season 1 winner) Panelist (seasons 2 and 5)
2021	Esta historia me suena	Nora	Episode: "Suelta mi mano"
2023	Juego de mentiras	Alejandra Edwards
2023Template:Ndashpresent	Secretos de las indomables	Herself	Main cast<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2024	Top Chef VIP	Herself	Contestant (season 3)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2025	Miss Universe Latina, el reality	Herself	Team captain

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	Cansada de besar sapos	Cassandra
2007	Dios o demonio	Giselle

Theater

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2009	Un amante a la medida	Linda
2010	Los Alacranes
	Hairspray, El Musical	Velma
2019	Divinas

Discography

Machado both wrote and produced her debut album, unusual in the genre.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

• Alicia Machado (2004)
• Si se Acabara el Mundo (2010)

Awards and nominations

Midia

Year	Category	Telenovela	Result
1998	Best New Actress	Samantha	rowspan=2 Template:Won
	It's the best history

Premios ACE

Year	Category	Telenovela	Result
1999	Best Revelation of the Year	Samantha	Template:Won

Paseo de las Luminarias

Year	Nominee	Result
2010	In recognition of her artistic career in Mexico	Template:Won

TVyNovelas Awards

Year	Category	Telenovela	Result
2012	Best Co-star Actress	Una familia con suerte	Template:Nom

Premios People en Español

Year	Category	Telenovela	Result
2012	Best Supporting Actress	Una familia con suerte	Template:Nom

External links

• Template:IMDb name