iNDICA NEWS BUREAU
In Miss USA’s 72-year history (established in 1952), no reigning titleholder has ever relinquished their crown. Now, both Miss USA, Noelia Voigt, and Indian origin Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, have shockingly resigned mid-reign. Citing mental health concerns as a priority, Voigt stepped down three months before her reign was due to end. She announced her decision to relinquish the crown and sash of Miss USA.
Their departures are the latest in a string of recent controversies at the Miss USA and Miss Universe organizations and have prompted a host of state titleholders to publicly pressure the pageant for more transparency.
Miss USA Noelia Voigt announced her resignation in an Instagram post on Monday, citing “the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health.” Concerns and criticisms compounded in the days that followed, especially after Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava, 17, announced her resignation in a similarly-formatted Instagram post on Wednesday.
Srivastava, of New Jersey, was also crowned in September 2023 — and said her resignation comes after “months of grappling with this decision”.
“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,” she wrote. “After careful consideration, I’ve decided to resign as I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”
She didn’t elaborate, but added to the intrigue by opening her statement with this quote attributed to German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: “There are no beautiful surfaces without a terrible depth.”
Srivastava said she looks forward to finishing 11th grade and applying to college, as well as continuing her collaborations with education- and literacy-focused nonprofits and promoting her multilingual children’s book about acceptance, calling that work “my TRUE purpose”.
Voigt and Srivastava aren’t the only recent departures from Miss USA. Former social media director Claudia Michelle first announced her resignation over the weekend, in an Instagram post that accused the organization of mistreating all three of them.
“Being offered your dream job and seeing that it was anything but is so disheartening,” Michelle wrote.
Michelle said she felt compelled to speak out because “this is a women’s empowerment organization,” noting she had not signed an NDA.
She said she wasn’t allowed to bring anyone else onto her social media team of one — something “absolutely necessary” for a “brand of this caliber” — and that she worked without financial compensation for her first two months on the job.
She went on to say that she witnessed “a decline in (Voigt’s) mental health since we first met” and “the disrespect toward (Srivastava) and her family,” opining that the teen titleholder didn’t get enough attention on social media.
