Jonathan Berry makes history as the first Indigenous Australian to be crowned Mr Universe
Jonathan Berry has made history at Mr Universe 2024. (@jonyberryofficial/Instagram)
Jonathan Berry has made history at Mr Universe 2024 as the first Indigenous Australian to be crowned Mr Universe.
Commemorating his historic win at the Mr Universe 2024 event, the actor, model and comedian took to Instagram on 26 August, writing: “Well… History was made tonight… I WON MR UNIVERSE!!”
The Palawa man has spearheaded LGBTQ+ advocacy and representation for First Nations people in the pageant community. He was the Palawa representative on the Advisory Committee for Sydney World Pride 2023 in Gadigal Country, and has “committed myself to raising awareness and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights”.
The Mr Universe winner has noted that he is the first Australian to land the Mr or Miss Universe title since Jennifer Hawkins won the award in 2004. Meanwhile, he is “the First Australian Male ever sent and the first Aboriginal person in history!!!!!”
Berry added: “I couldn’t be prouder or more grateful to the @_mr_universe organisation and @transformation_nights it’s an honour to be a part of this prestigious family!! A huge thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way and who made this possible.
“A huge shoutout to all the incredible men I competed alongside it’s been amazing to get to know you all and learn about your beautiful countries and cultures,” he said.
The star expressed his desire to put his win to good use, and “model around the world and share the beauty of Australia”. He continued: “I’m so full of pride and so honoured and so exhausted at the same time.”
In an interview with the National Indigenous Times, Berry highlighted the importance of his win for the community of the First Nations people.
He told the outlet: “It’s an immense honour and a great responsibility to represent both Australia and the broader First Nations community. This opportunity allows me to showcase the richness of our culture and advocate for greater representation.”
He added: “This time I’m also approaching it from the perspective of inner strength and outer courage. There were so many issues around me wearing the Aboriginal flag at Mr World and I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to really challenge it.
“I’ve come so far as an Indigenous man – I want to show the Universe the strength we have as a First Nations people,” Berry concluded.
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