Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava (left) and Miss USA Noelia Voigt pose at a New York Fashion Week event in February. They both announced their resignations this week.
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Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava (left) and Miss USA Noelia Voigt pose at a New York Fashion Week event in February. They both announced their resignations this week.
Craig Barritt/Getty Images Super Models Unlimited
Miss USA 2023 and Miss Teen USA relinquished their crowns within days of each other this week, leaving their parent organization without its two biggest titles and under increasing scrutiny.
Their departures are the latest in a series of recent controversies for the Miss America and Miss Universe organizations and have prompted many state champions to publicly pressure the pageants for more transparency.
Miss USA Noelia Voigt announced her resignation on Instagram on Monday, citing the importance of “making the decision that’s best for you and your mental health.”
The 24-year-old became the first Venezuelan-American woman to win the Miss America title in September 2023, representing Utah. In her resignation statement, she expressed gratitude for the connections and platform she had built over more than seven years in the pageant and urged others to “never compromise their physical or mental health.”
“Deep down, I know this is just the beginning of a new chapter for me and I hope to continue to inspire others to stay strong, prioritize your mental health, use your voice to advocate for yourself and others, and never be afraid of the future , even if it feels uncertain,” Voight wrote.
Eagle-eyed followers noticed in the comments section that the first letters of the first 11 sentences of her statement spelled out “I AM SILENCED” (the remaining three spelled out “HIP”).
Concern and criticism grew in the days that followed, especially after 17-year-old Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava announced her resignation in a similarly formatted Instagram post on Wednesday.
New Jersey’s Srivastava, who is also set to be crowned in September 2023, said she was resigning after “struggling with this decision for months.”
“I will always look back fondly on my time as Miss New Jersey Teen USA, and the experience of representing my state on a national level as a first-generation Mexican-Indian American was fulfilling in itself,” she wrote. “After much consideration, I decided to resign because I found that my personal values no longer fully aligned with the direction of the organization.”
She didn’t elaborate, but included a quote from German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in her statement: “Without terrible depths, there is no beautiful surface.”
Srivastava said she is looking forward to finishing 11th grade and applying to college, as well as continuing to work with nonprofits focused on education and literacy and promoting her multilingual children’s book about acceptance, calling the work “my true purpose.”
Voight was one of many people to comment positively on her post, writing in part: “I’m so proud of you my angel.”
The organization has not yet responded to NPR’s request for comment.
But both the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA Instagram accounts acknowledged their titleholders’ departure in nearly identical posts, thanking them for their service and wishing them the best.
“The well-being of our title holder is a top priority and we understand her need to prioritize herself at this time,” Voight’s Miss America account wrote. “We are currently reviewing plans to hand over responsibilities to a successor and we will announce the crowning of a new Miss America soon.”
The 2024 Miss America pageant is scheduled to take place in early August.
A Miss America employee resigned days ago, slamming a “toxic workplace”
Voight and Srivastava aren’t the only ones to leave Miss America recently.
Former social media director Claudia Michelle first announced her resignation over the weekend, accusing the organization of mistreating the three of them in an Instagram post.
“It’s so frustrating to get your dream job only to find out it’s not at all,” Michelle wrote.
Michelle said she felt the need to speak out because “this is a women’s empowerment organization,” noting that she has not yet signed a confidentiality agreement.
She said she wasn’t allowed to bring others on to her social media team – which is “absolutely necessary” for a brand of this caliber – and she didn’t during her first two months on the job. Financial compensation.
She went on to say that she witnessed “ [Voigt’s] mental health since we first met” and “disrespect for others” [Srivastava] and her family,” arguing the teen champion doesn’t get enough attention on social media.
“I witnessed first-hand that Noelia and Uma were unable to share their personal opinions on social media and were subjected to [Miss Universe Organization] I have not seen the ‘Social Media Rules and Guidelines,'” Michelle wrote. “I feel the way current management talks about their title holders is unprofessional and inappropriate; I deny workplace toxicity and bullying of any kind.
The organization told USA TODAY in a statement that it was “disturbed by the false accusations made by a former Miss America employee.”
“Miss America is committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and supportive environment and we take these allegations seriously,” it added. “In fact, we have and will continue to prioritize the well-being of all individuals involved in the Miss America competition.”
Title holder calls for ‘complete transparency’ from organization after rocky years
The Miss America Organization has had a tumultuous few years business insider reported.
In early 2022, the 2019 Miss America winner Cheslie Kryst committed suicide. Later that fall, just days after Labonnie Gabrielle was crowned Miss America, other contestants publicly accused organizers of rigging the competition in her favor.
In response, the Miss Universe Organization suspended Miss America chairwoman Crystal Stewart and launched a third-party investigation into the allegations.
Around that time, news broke that Stewart’s husband, Max Sebrechts, had resigned as Miss America vice president earlier this year after multiple 2021 pageant contestants accused him of sexual harassment.
In January 2023, Gabrielle won the title of Miss Universe, becoming the first American to win the title in ten years, and lost her Miss America crown to runner-up Morgan Romero of North Carolina.
In August, the Miss Universe Organization said an investigation found the fraud claims were false but still parted ways with Stewart. That same day, current Miss America President and CEO Laylah Rose was announced as her replacement.
Criticism of Miss America has resurfaced since she resigned this week.
Several 2023 state title holders shared a joint statement on social media saying the majority of the 2023 Miss America class supports Voight’s decision to resign and is asking the Miss America Organization to permanently release her from her contract. terms, “so that she could” speak freely about her experience and time as Miss America.
The statement began circulating on Wednesday, with a request for a response within 24 hours.
“Our goal is to restore Noelia’s voice,” they wrote. “We demand full transparency from entrants in the 2024 class and beyond.”
