Resigned Miss USA and Miss Teen USA Were ‘Abused, Bullied and Cornered,’ Their Mothers Allege

Vlada Gelman
·2 min read
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The mothers of Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava, both of whom recently resigned their titles, are speaking out about how their daughters allegedly were “ill-treated” by the pageant organization.

Voigt announced her decision to step down from the Miss USA role on May 6, citing mental health struggles. Two days later, Srivastava also relinquished her title of Miss Teen USA, writing on Instagram, “I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”

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In an interview with Good Morning America, Srivastava’s mother Barbara Srivastava alleged that the women — who are unable to speak out because of confidentiality clauses in their contracts — were “ill-treated, abused, bullied and cornered.”

Voigt’s mother Jackeline Voigt recounted an unwanted advance at a Christmas parade, where a man asked her daughter if she was “into old men with money, and made Noelia very, very uncomfortable.”

“She was so upset. This was not what she worked so hard for,” Jackeline Voigt added.

Noelia Voigt alluded to the incident in her resignation letter, which was obtained by The New York Times and GMA. “I was made to feel unsafe at events without an effective handler, and this culminated in being sexually harassed,” she wrote, adding that Miss USA CEO and president Laylah Rose’s response was, “We cannot prevent people from saying things to you at public appearances.”

Barbara Srivastava alleged that her daughter’s personal social media was also surveyed and controlled. “The job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare,” she said.

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

In a statement to ABC News, the Miss USA organization said, “We are committed to fostering a healthy, communicative and supportive environment for all contestants, state titleholders, national titleholders and staff.”

Rose did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

The CW, which is slated to air this year’s Miss USA Pageant and the Miss Teen USA Pageant in August, is “evaluating its relationship with both pageants,” a network spokesperson tells TVLine.

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