In December 2015, she was crowned Miss Universe in Las Vegas, becoming the third Filipina to win the title after Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Margarita Moran in 1973. Celebrations broke out across the Philippines after the result.
During and after her reign, Wurtzbach supported awareness campaigns on HIV and health education. She has since worked as a host, actress, author and fashion personality, and she married businessman Jeremy Jauncey in 2023.