Moms of Miss USA Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava Speak Out Following Their Resignations
Written by Rtradio on May 14, 2024
The mothers of former Miss USA 2023 winner Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA 2023 winner UmaSofia Srivastava are calling out the Miss USA and Miss Universe organizations in the wake of their daughters’ resignations.
Barbara Srivastava and Jackeline Voigt appeared together on Tuesday’s Good Morning America, to discuss their daughters’ alleged treatment within the organization, that they say led to the two pageant winners stepping down.
“The job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare, “Barbara 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?”
Both women pointed to the NDAs in their daughters’ contracts, which prevent them from directly 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 said of her daughter, Noelia.
Jackeline claims that Noelia experienced unwanted advances at a Christmas parade for the organization, which made her “very, very uncomfortable.”
She said that Noelia brought up the situation with Miss USA president Laylah Rose, whom she claimed said they couldn’t be responsible for what was said to the pageant winners at public events.
In a resignation letter to the Miss USA organization, Noelia wrote, “There is a toxic work environment within the Miss USA organization that, at best, is poor management and, at worst, is bullying and harassment… I was made to feel unsafe at events without an effective handler, and this culminated in being sexually harassed.”
Barbara, whose teenage daughter, UmaSofia, stepped down two days after Noelia’s resignation, said that the women’s complaints and decisions had nothing to do with wanting special treatment.
“It’s about how they were ill-treated — abused, bullied and cornered,” Barbara said.
The Miss USA organization said in a statement, “The well-being of our titleholders is a top priority.”
Earlier this month, Noelia announced that she had resigned as Miss USA 2023, after accepting the title in September.
“In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health. As individuals, we grow through experiencing different things in life that lead us to learning more about ourselves,” Noelia wrote in a lengthy statement.
“Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of Miss USA 2023,” she continued.
Just two days after Noelia’s announcement, UmaSofia shared that she had separately decided to resign from the title of Miss Teen USA 2023.
At the time, 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.”
Additionally, Claudia Michelle, the former Miss USA organization’s social media director, quit days before the winners’ resignations.
“It was a series of aggressive behaviors towards the title holders and the rest of the Miss USA staff,” Claudia told ET.
In the days since Noelia and UmaSofia’s resignations, Miss Hawaii, Savannah Gankiewicz, was named Miss USA 2023. But Miss Teen USA 2023 has yet to be crowned as runner-up Stephanie Skinner also declined the title, writing, “Although I do not know exactly what Noelia and Uma went through to lead them to resign, I am sending them immense love and support.”
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