Former Miss USA Noelia Voigt Urges Pageant to Lift NDA After CEO’s ‘False Allegations’ Claim
Written by Rtradio on May 31, 2024
Former Miss USA Noelia Voigt is asking for her NDA to be lifted after a statement issued by the organization’s leader accused her of making “false allegations.”
On Thursday, the 24-year-old pageant queen took to her Instagram to respond to CEO Laylah Rose, who earlier in the day put out a statement addressing the state of the institution after weeks of controversy and the resignations of both Noelia and the former Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava.
“I am constrained by a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and would like to emphatically assert that, following the unauthorized circulation of my resignation letter, Laylah Roses’ assertions in her recent statement that contradict my experience after three weeks of unanswered resignation notification are unequivocally inaccurate,” Noelia wrote in her post on Instagram. “I strongly encourage her to waive our NDA to enable me to speak.”
The post came hours after Rose released an “open letter” in which she broadly disputed claims circulating around Noelia’s decision to step down.
“We are very disappointed to hear the recent false allegations made by individuals speaking on behalf of our former titleholder. We cannot and will not address every falsehood, but I will address a few here,” the Miss USA CEO began her post. “The allegations of sexual harassment, toxic environment and bullying are not true.”
Rose continued, “To be clear, such behavior is not accepted, and we can assure you that if such behavior ever occurred, we would take immediate steps to protect our titleholder and provide access to appropriate resources.”
She went on to allege that any and all assertions that the organization suffers from a “lack of communion” and support are “likewise false.” Rose claimed that it was Noelia’s own decision to let the assistance attempts go “ignored or unused.”
The sparring online comes after weeks of headlines about alleged mistreatment and issues within the Miss USA institution. Days after Noelia and UmaSofia stepped down, their moms appeared on Good Morning America and discussed what led their daughters to resign and why they believe their NDAs should be lifted.
In their contracts, Noelia and UmaSofia are bound by a non-disclosure agreement that bars them from speaking out about their supposed treatment.
“She is [silenced] and she will be the rest of her life if this NDA is being left. The girls need to speak,” Jackeline Voigt said of her daughter, Noelia.
“The job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare,” Barbara Srivastava told GMA. “We could not continue this charade. The girls decided to step down, give up their dream of a lifetime, their crown, a national title, why would two girls decide to give that up?”
Things ultimately heated up after UmaSofia’s resignation as the Miss Teen USA runner-up, Stephanie Skinner, declined to take on the role. In an Instagram post at the time, the Miss New York Teen USA titleholder shared that she had turned it down for numerous reasons, including another responsibility.
“In light of recent events, I have decided to decline the title of Miss Teen USA 2023. This was not an easy decision,” Skinner wrote in a statement. “I hope for respect of my choice that this was a decision I never asked to make.”
The Miss USA runner-up, Hawaii native Savannah Gankiewicz, chose to accept the crown and was sworn in during a ceremony held on her home island less than two weeks after Noelia’s resignation.
“I am so shocked right now and I’m just so tremendously grateful,” Ganziewicz said during the May 15 ceremony. “While this decision was not made lightly, I firmly believe that this opportunity was meant for me and I’m ready to make a positive impact with this organization that I hold dear to my heart.”
RELATED CONTENT:
