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Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
For the first time in history, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA have resigned within days of each other, prompting concerns from fans about what is going on within the organization.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Noelia Voigt, a Sarasota County native, made the \u201cvery tough decision\u201d to step down from her title on Monday with just a few months left of her reign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In her statement<\/a> posted to Instagram, Voigt made several mentions of mental health, prompting an outpouring of love and support from fans and former titleholders. However, commenters quickly noticed that the first letters of the first 11 sentences of her statement spell out, \u201cI AM SILENCED.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n This potential hidden message was only amplified when just two days later, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava also resigned<\/a>, citing that her \u201cpersonal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n With their two reigning queens making the unprecedented decision to hang up their crowns early, all eyes turned to the Miss USA organization, which the Miss Universe organization runs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘It’s pure control’<\/p>\n\n\n\n A source close to both titleholders and former employees of the Miss Universe and Miss USA organizations shared that the problems stem from its new leadership. <\/p>\n\n\n\n VVV Global Ent. founder Laylah Rose<\/a> took over as president and CEO of the Miss USA brand in August 2023, just a month before the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA competitions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe\u2019s ruling by fear, she\u2019s ruling by harassment, not only the contestants but her employees,\u201d the source told 10 Tampa Bay in reference to Rose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The source said that Rose is responsible for the \u201ctoxic work environment\u201d that the Miss USA organization has become, adding that Voigt would be reprimanded or ignored if she brought up concerns, even concerning mental health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These claims of “bullying” and a “toxic work environment” were also outlined in Voigt’s resignation letter obtained by CBS News. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the letter, Voigt said her relationship with the organization had become “unendurable,” adding that she was suffering from anxiety as a result. The former Miss USA also mentioned in the letter that she was made to feel unsafe at events, including one experience where she was sexually harassed at a Christmas parade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Management rarely booked appearances for Voigt, and when it did, failed to cover costs or provide handlers for security, according to the source. The source also claimed that management took over the titleholder\u2019s social media accounts in an attempt to restrict what she could speak out on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is supposed to be a women empowerment organization, but they took that power away,\u201d the source said. \u201cIt\u2019s pure control.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The source explained that Voigt is bound by what she called \u201can incredibly egregious\u201d contract that every state titleholder had to sign to compete at Miss USA. This became Voigt\u2019s full-time Miss USA contract when she won the competition in September. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Miss USA organization did not respond to a request for comment when asked by 10 Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fellow queens call for change<\/p>\n\n\n\n Miss Florida USA Caroline Dixon referenced this contract in a statement posted to Instagram<\/a> on Wednesday on behalf of most of the Miss USA class of 2023. It calls for the Miss USA organization to release Voigt from a clause in her contract so that she may speak freely about her experiences as Miss USA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe majority of the members of the Miss USA class of 2023 supports Noelia Voigt\u2019s decision to resign from the title of Miss USA. Prioritizing one\u2019s mental health is of the utmost importance, and we stand behind her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “We are asking the Miss USA Organization to release Noelia from the confidentiality NDA clause of her contract, in perpetuity, so that she is free to speak on her experiences and time as Miss USA. We request a response within 24 hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Our goal is to give Noelia her voice back. We are asking for full transparency for contestants in the class of 2024 and beyond,” the statement reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Former employee says Miss USA, Miss Teen USA are ‘silenced’<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-53-10.png?resize=433%2C527&ssl=1\")
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