Niecy Nash and Perez Hilton Getty Images
Olivia Culpo and Emmitt Smith will also join the judging panel for the event airing Dec. 20 on Fox.
The 2015 Miss Universe pageant has rounded out its judging panel.
Critiquing contestants this year will be Getting On and Scream Queens star Niecy Nash, celebrity entertainment personality Perez Hilton, 2012 Miss Universe Olivia Culpo and former football star Emmitt Smith. Hosted by Steve Harvey, the three-hour will also include live reporting from Roselyn Sanchez.
The annual event will air live on Fox from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casingo in Las Vegas on Dec. 20, with performances by Seal, The Band Perry and Charlie Puth. It is the first of the franchise to air since WME-IMG acquired the The Miss Universe Organization — which includes the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants — from Donald Trump in September, after Trump's disparaging remarks on the campaign trail about Mexican immigrants that led NBC and Univision to refuse to air the 2015 Miss USA pageant. Fox announced this past October that it would be the new home for the shows.
Also new this year: fans will get to have a say in who gets crowned Miss Universe. Viewers are encouraged to score each contestant on a scale of one to ten in the swimsuit, evening gown and interview categories by voting on their computer or phone during the live telecast.
While on NBC, the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants had been solid ratings performers. Last year's Miss Universe pageant notched a 1.8 rating among adults 18-49 and led the network to a demo win for the evening. The 2014 Miss USA pageant nabbed a 1.4 rating. Ratings only dropped (to a 0.2) when the telecast moved to Reelz in July at the very last minute.
