Miss USA resignations: CW 'evaluating' relationship with pageants ahead of live ceremonies

Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
·2 min read

Weeks after The CW announced a three-year contract extension to air Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants, the network is reconsidering its partnership.

"In light of the events of last week, The CW Network is evaluating its relationship with both pageants," the network said in a statement Monday.

In late April, the network announced it would air the 42nd Miss Teen USA pageant and 73rd Miss USA pageant on Aug. 1 and 4, respectively. The new announcement comes after both Miss USA Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava resigned from their positions last week.

USA TODAY has reached out to the Miss USA organization for comment.

Voigt said in a statement posted to social media on May 6 that she was making the "tough decision" to resign to preserve her mental health. Two days later, Srivastava announced on her Instagram that she would relinquish the title as her "personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization."

Utah’s Noelia Voigt is crowned Miss USA 2023 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nev. on Sept. 29, 2023.
Utah’s Noelia Voigt is crowned Miss USA 2023 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nev. on Sept. 29, 2023.

"This stepping down of Noelia and Uma is a direct response to the current ownership and current management of the Miss USA brand," Claudia Engelhardt, a former Miss USA social media director who resigned the same week, told 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."

In a statement shared with USA TODAY on Wednesday, Miss USA CEO and President Laylah Rose said, "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."

Rose's statement continued, "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."

Contributing: KiMi Robinson and Naledi Ushe

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miss USA on CW: Network 'evaluating' airing pageants amid resignations