Why did Miss USA and Miss Teen USA titleholders resign? Historic move shakes pageant world
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Even though 2023 Miss USA pageant runner-up Savannah Gankiewicz of Hawaii has stepped in to fill Noelia Voigt's spot, the pageant organization still faces ongoing issues. The winners of both Miss USA and Miss Teen USA resigned earlier in May in an unprecedented move.
Miss Teen USA has not yet announced UmaSofia Srivastava's replacement. Noelia declared on May 6 on Instagram that she was relinquishing her Miss USA title to prioritize her mental health, just eight months after being crowned. Noelia said in a long statement, "Never could I have imagined the journey that my childhood dream would take me on."
She added, "Constant and consistent hard work and dedication all lead me to where I am today, and I hope that the last seven years of competing in pageantry and sharing my journey with you all is something that inspires you to never give up on your dreams, whatever they may be."
Despite acknowledging that her retirement could "come as a large shock to many," Noelia cautioned readers not to jeopardize their physical or emotional health. "Our health is our wealth."
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In a detailed statement released on May 8, two days after Noelia Voigt’s resignation was announced, UmaSofia Srivastava explained that her departure was due to her "personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization."
"I am grateful for all the support from my family, my state directors, my sister queens, and the fans who have cheered me on since I won my state title," UmaSofia penned.
"I will always look back on my time as Miss NJ Teen USA fondly, and the experience of representing my state as a first generation, Mexican-Indian American at the national level was fulfilling in itself."
Miss USA and Miss Teen USA's mothers recall their daughters being 'ill-treated, abused, bullied'
In an interview with 'Good Morning America' on May 15, their mothers, Jackeline Voigt and Barbara Srivastava, alleged that their daughters had been subjected to abuse by the Miss USA organization. "The job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare," Barbara stated. "They were ill-treated, abused, bullied and cornered."
The mothers urged people to "really pay attention" to what happened to their children and advised against participating in the pageants. They also called for the resignation of Miss USA CEO and President Laylah Rose.
In September 2023, both pageants, managed by the Miss Universe organization, took place. Laylah Rose hosted them for the first time after Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart resigned from the role a month earlier. Stewart’s resignation followed accusations of manipulating the Miss USA 2022 pageant, over a year prior.
They were also the first pageants owned by JKN Global Group; in October 2022, the Thai business bought Miss Universe from IMG Worldwide LLC, a corporation located in New York.
What triggered the Miss USA departures?
Claudia Engelhardt reported that two of her coworkers, who were assistant national directors, were dismissed by the Miss USA organization in late April. Following this, Claudia told USA TODAY that she made the "very tough decision" to leave her "dream job" as the social media director of the company.
On May 3, she posted a long statement on Instagram denouncing "current management" for participating in "workplace toxicity and bullying" and responding to its titleholders in an "unprofessional and inappropriate" manner.
"I was disrespected at my own job," Claudia said to USA TODAY. "And then to see the way that they were treating the titleholders, I was like, you know what? Enough is enough." Three days afterward, Noelia shockingly announced her resignation.
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Noelia Voigt suggests being 'silenced' by the Miss USA organization
After Noelia Voigt's departure, online rumors began circulating when followers noticed a peculiar detail in her statement. Users observed that by removing the first letter from each of Noelia's statements, the phrase "I AM SILENCED" could be deciphered in the comments section of her Instagram post and other social media platforms.
However, this interpretation overlooks the final three words, whose initial letters spell "HIP." It remained unclear whether this message was intentional. After Noelia Voigt and former Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava resigned, Denise White, who has been handling their cases, told USA TODAY that the former titleholders are under nondisclosure agreements "that are ironclad and in perpetuity."
Alexis Loomans, a contestant for Miss USA 2023, claimed in an interview with USA TODAY that the contracts confirming the contestants' participation in the pageant were sent out with little notice (the submission deadline was in about four hours), which made it challenging to obtain legal counsel to go over the terms of the lengthy contract.
"I think it was part of their plan because they knew how horrendous the contract was," Alexis stated. "But none of us were going to question it. We were all just so excited to get up on that stage, and so we did, but that is what ultimately trapped Noelia or anyone else who could’ve won."
Contestants for Miss USA 2023 demand 'full transparency' from the event
In a unified statement shared across social media, numerous Miss USA 2023 contestants expressed their support for Noelia Voigt on May 8. "Prioritizing one's mental health is of the utmost importance, and we stand behind her," said the statement.
"We are asking the Miss USA Organization to release Noelia from the confidentiality NDA clause of her contract, in perpetuity, so that she is free to speak on her experiences and time as Miss USA."
Miss USA 2023 competitors Alexis Loomans and Rachelle di Stasio criticized Noelia Voigt for her inability to discuss her experiences at Miss USA in a USA TODAY interview. Rachelle emphasized that using one’s voice is a crucial aspect of being Miss USA. "That’s your most powerful weapon, and the fact that that’s being taken away...goes against everything that I believe Miss USA represents."
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Noelia Voigt describes the Miss USA organization as a 'toxic work environment'
Noelia's resignation letter was shared with Miss USA, and both NBC News and the New York Times got a copy of it a few days after she gave up her title. According to the publications, Noelia wrote, "There is a toxic work environment within the Miss USA organization that, at best, is poor management and, at worst, is bullying and harassment."
In her resignation letter, Noelia Voigt stated that President Laylah Rose and the Miss USA CEO exhibited a pattern of poor communication. When they did communicate, she described Laylah as "often cold and unnecessarily aggressive." "She said that she was given a diagnosis of anxiety and that she suffers from "heart palpitations, full body shakes, loss of appetite, unintentional weight loss, loss of sleep, loss of hair, and more."
She is currently taking medicine for her anxiety. She said that these symptoms were caused by "worrying about what Laylah (Rose) will pop up with and choose to harass me about daily," according to NBC.
Former Miss USA staffer claims the organization caused winners' mental health degradation
Claudia Engelhardt, the former head of social media, holds the new owner of the Miss USA organization accountable for the resignations of UmaSofia Srivastava and Noelia Voigt. "This stepping down of Noelia and Uma is a direct response to the current ownership and current management of the Miss USA brand," she said to USA TODAY.
"They are the ones that are responsible for Noelia and Uma's mental health decline. And it was documented that they knew it and they did nothing about it." She asserted in several ways how Laylah, the organization's owner, had allegedly mistreated Noelia throughout her leadership. "The owner (Rose) would constantly weaponize the contract that Noelia signed, the most airtight, egregious, binding contract you'd probably ever see," Claudia said.
"She would copy and paste every single little clause anytime Noelia would do something that she didn't like and say, 'Well, per your contract, if you don't fix this that I didn't tell you about, we're going to withhold your salary.'"
She continued, "And I don't know about you, but to have to live with that all the time, that is the definition of a toxic workplace."
Miss Teen USA's runner-up Miss NY Teen declines her post
Four days after UmaSofia Srivastava reclaimed her title, on May 11, the first runner-up in the 2023 Miss Teen USA pageant announced that she had declined the opportunity to succeed UmaSofia.
USA's Miss New York Teen "In light of recent events, I have decided to decline the title of Miss Teen USA 2023," Stephanie Skinner posted on Instagram. "This was not an easy decision. I hope for respect of my choice that this was a decision I never asked to make. Although I do not know exactly what Noelia and Uma went through to lead them to resign, I am sending them immense love and support."
CW said the network is 'evaluating' its partnership with Miss USA.
On May 13, The CW network announced that it is "evaluating its relationship with both pageants" in response to the accusations surrounding the Miss USA organization. Brad Schwartz, CW's programming president, informed USA TODAY that the network is "very, very concerned about" the allegations.
"Obviously, we don't condone bullying in any way, shape or form. We're taking it very seriously and gathering information; we don't want to act hastily or improperly," he stated. "We want to support the women, but obviously we have a lot of questions about the organization."
What did the Miss USA organization say?
In reaction to UmaSofia's resignation, Miss USA CEO and President Laylah stated in a statement provided to USA TODAY on May 8: "Our all-encompassing goal at Miss USA is to celebrate and empower women. Our participants make a real difference in this country and around the globe."
Laylah's statement added, "All along, my personal goal as the head of this organization has been to inspire women to always create new dreams, have the courage to explore it all, and continue to preserve integrity along the way. I hold myself to these same high standards and I take these allegations seriously. Please be assured that the well-being of all individuals associated with Miss USA is my top priority."
The organization had previously released a statement on Noelia's resignation, saying: "We respect and support former Miss USA Noelia Voigt’s decision to step down from her duties. The well-being of our titleholders is a top priority, and we understand her need to prioritize herself at this time."