Why are pageant queens resigning? Miss USA controversy, explained

In the span of a week, three women who won titles within the Miss USA organization last year have stepped away from their crowns.

Noelia Voigt, the 24-year-old former Miss USA 2023, announced her resignation on Instagram May 6, saying she was choosing to focus on her mental health. Within days, former Miss USA Teen 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava, 17, and former Miss Colorado USA 2023 Arianna Lemus, 26, both stepped down, as well.

Miss Universe Organization owns Miss USA and Miss USA Teen. The organization shared similar messages after Voigt and Srivastava’s resignations, thanking them for their “service,” and that it “respects and supports” the pageant queen’s decision. The organization did not comment on Lemus’ resignation.

Savannah Gankiewicz, former Miss Hawaii USA and first runner-up in the 2023 Miss USA competition, took over Voigt’s position, but said she stands in solidarity with the initial winner. Stephanie Skinner, former Miss Teen New York and runner-up for Miss USA Teen 2023, declined the title because she didn’t want to “give up (her) character,” she revealed to People.

Read on for more on the string of resignations.

Why are Miss USA pageant winners stepping down?

Voigt, the former Miss Utah 2023, became Miss USA in September 2023, becoming the first Venezuelan-American to win the pageant.

When announcing her resignation on an Instagram May 6, Voigt shared, “I realize this may come as a large shock to many. Never compromise your physical and mental well-being.”

“In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health,” she continued. “As individuals, we grow through experiencing different things in life that lead us to learning more about ourselves. My journey as Miss USA has been incredibly meaningful, representing Utah with pride, and later the USA at Miss Universe. Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of Miss USA 2023.”

Fans pointed out that the first letter in every sentence of Voigt’s online statement spelled out “I am silenced.”

In a resignation letter obtained by NBC News May 9, Voigt said Miss USA organization CEO and President Laylah Rose failed to take an incident of sexual harassment seriously and created a toxic work environment.

“There is a toxic work environment within the Miss USA organization that, at best, is poor management and, at worst, is bullying and harassment,” Voigt, 24, wrote in the letter. “This started soon after winning the title of Miss USA 2023.”

Per NBC News, Voigt said in the letter that Rose consistently failed to communicate, adding that when she did, the CEO was “often cold and unnecessarily aggressive.”

“It’s incredibly jarring to be trying to do my job and constantly be threatened with disciplinary action, including taking away my salary, for things that were never discussed with me and, if it related to a public-facing post for example, were causing no issue other than not meeting her personal preference,” Voigt wrote.

Voigt also detailed in the letter an alleged incident of sexual harassment at an event in Florida, writing that she was left alone in a car with a man who “made several inappropriate statements to me about his desire to enter into a relationship with me.”

In the letter, Voigt wrote that once Rose was informed of the situation and told her, per NBC News, “We cannot prevent people saying things to you at public appearances, it is, unfortunately, part of the role you’re in as a public figure.”

Voigt said she now has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and is experiencing “heart palpitations, full body shakes, loss of appetite, unintentional weight loss, loss of sleep, loss of hair, and more.”

She identified an alleged hypocrisy between Miss Universe Organization’s external-facing values and its internal reality.

“Every statement you have ever put out about MUO’s morals and integrity directly contradicts what is happening within the USA organization,” the letter said.

When the former Miss Teen USA 2023, Srivastava, stepped away from the crown, she wrote in an Instagram post that her “personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”

She quoted the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, and wrote, in part, “This was certainly not how I saw my reign coming to a close.”

Voigt told People on May 9 she didn’t know Srivastava was also resigning, calling the move “surprising.”

“I actually didn’t know that she was going to do that,” she said, adding the two were “very close” and that Srivastava was a “very, very strong young woman.”

Lemus, the former Miss Colorado USA 2023, shared on Instagram May 10, “I stand in solidarity with Noelia and UmaSofia, former Miss USA & Miss Teen USA 2023, as I step down from my role as Miss Colorado USA. Noelia and UmaSofia’s voices have been stifled by the constraints of a contract that undermines their rights and dignity. These remarkable women serve as a poignant reminder of the urgent need for reform within the Miss USA organization.”

She captioned the post, in part, “Silencing women is not the definition of pageantry.”

Former Miss USA Organization social media director Claudia Michelle stepped down from her role on May 3, writing on Instagram, “I believe Noelia and Uma’s mental health and happiness has taken a toll and I cannot remain silent about them.”

What has the Miss USA Organization said about the resignations?

In a statement to NBC News, Rose said May 8 that “the well-being of all individuals associated with Miss USA is my top priority.”

“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,” she said.

After Voigt and Srivastava each resigned from their respective titles, the Miss USA organization shared nearly identical posts to social media.

“Thank you, Noelia, for your service as Miss USA. We wish you the best in this next chapter,” the organization wrote, in part. “We respect and support Noelia’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.”

In a similar message, the Miss Teen USA organization wrote a message to Srivastava: “UmaSofia, we are wishing you all the best. Thank you for your service as Miss Teen USA. We respect and support UmaSofia’s decision to step down from her duties. The well-being of our titleholders is a top priority.”

Who now holds Miss USA crowns?

Savannah Gankiewicz, former Miss Hawaii USA and runner-up in the 2023 Miss USA competition, shared that she would be taking over the coveted title in an Instagram postMay 9.

“Please know that my decision to accept the Miss USA crown was not one that was made lightly. I stand with Noelia and admire her strength to step down and prioritize her mental health,” she wrote.

Gankiewicz will be crowned Miss USA 2023 in a coronation ceremony May 15, the pageant announced.

As for Miss USA Teen, the 2023 runner-up and current Miss New York Teen, Stephanie Skinner, told People on May 13 that she was offered the title and declined.

“It was an extremely hard decision to make,” the 19-year-old told the publication. “I worked so hard and sacrificed so much for this goal to become Miss Teen USA,” she says, “and although this title was a dream of mine, I believe one thing I will never give up is my character.”

The Wharton student told the New York Post “it didn’t feel like it was the right decision considering all the circumstances” and was “standing in solidarity and standing up for female empowerment.”

The organization has not yet announced who will claim the Teen title.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com