Instead of empowering women, insiders argue that Miss USA disregarded their voices.
The Miss USA organization, which runs the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants, has been under attack due to allegations of mismanagement, a negative work environment and circumstances that led to the resignation of Noelia Voigt, who represented Utah at Miss USA.
Sixteen-year-old Camryn Srivastava, who represented New Jersey at Miss Teen USA, stated that her personal beliefs no longer align with the organization's values. On the other hand, Voigt, 24, made a lengthy statement highlighting her mental health, but it went viral after it was found that the first letter of each sentence spelled out "I am silenced". Voigt has not responded to these speculations.
The Miss USA pageant responded to Voigt's resignation by expressing respect and support, while emphasizing her well-being is a priority. However, they have not replied to CNN's request for additional comments.
Many current state titleholders who competed alongside Voigt for Miss USA in support of her. Jordyn Ashlee McKey (Miss North Carolina USA 2023), Alexis Loomans (Miss Wisconsin USA 2023), and Rachelle di Stasio (Miss New York USA) shared messages requesting the release of Voigt from her contract's confidentiality agreement to allow her to share her experiences and time as Miss USA.
Denise White, a PR representative for both Srivastava and Voigt, stated that the women are bound by "ironclad" non-disclosure agreements in their contracts.
Voigt has not publicly revealed the reasons behind her decision to quit. She submitted a letter to the Miss USA organization, where she accused the organization's CEO, Laylah Rose, of creating a “toxic work environment” that includes "bullying and harassment". Voigt claimed that Rose belittled her character in conversations with employees inside and outside the organization, even referring to Voigt as "mentally ill". Rose is an entrepreneur and CEO of VIP Pageantry Network, who took over the brand in 2023.
In the letter, Voigt also mentioned many issues, including a lack of communication regarding her responsibilities, constant threats of disciplinary action, failure to provide travel accommodations, an apartment, and car as promised in the award package, and the absence of an effective handler. This led to her being sexually harassed at a Christmas parade event in Sarasota, Florida, while she was alone in a car with an unidentified person. Voigt accused Rose of fostering a climate of fear and control, contrary to women's empowerment. Voigt added that she is under a contractual agreement to remain silent about her experiences and time as Miss USA.
Voigt and Srivastava's resignations were not planned, according to White.
"I've witnessed and seen harassment, a toxic work environment and bullying. It's just not conducive to a women's organization that uplifts women and is supposed to promote using your voice. It's quite the opposite," White explained.
Both pageant winners attempted to resolve their issues without causing a commotion, but Harmony Hammond (Miss Universe Organization) and Rose, through Miss USA, have not responded to their concerns.
Voigt's coach, Thom Brodeur, who has been working with Miss USA contestants since 1991 and started training Voigt while she was preparing for Miss Utah, noted that the organization is in uncharted territory under Rose. "No woman has ever resigned as Miss USA or Miss Teen USA, and she's lost both of them within two days," he said.
Even before Voigt and Srivastava resigned, the organization was going through troubled times, according to White, Brodeur, and Miss USA's former social media director, Claudia Engelhardt, who also resigned recently. She stated on Instagram that she worked for two months without pay and witnessed a decline in Voigt's mental health, along with disrespect toward Srivastava and her family.
According to Engelhardt, several staff members from Miss USA organization left during her employment. When she started working in January, there were only five employees. After several firings and resignations, the team now consists of Engelhardt and one other person. Sources claim that the turnover hasn't stopped.
“This isn't a state pageant. This isn't a local pageant. You need... a whole team,” Engelhardt said during a phone call with CNN.
Engelhardt admitted she thought she was applying for a freelance job, but found out she was hired as full-time staff. However, she never received a contract, onboarding, or guidance. She struggled with managing social media for the national brand while dealing with what she describes as Rose's dominant behavior over their social accounts.
“She would block Instagram accounts of people she had issues with. She would censor comments, and she would leave comments for the Miss USA page as if she was Noelia,” Engelhardt claimed.
White also accused Rose of pretending to be the pageant winners on their official accounts. Prior to Voigt's resignation, she posted on Instagram that she "no longer had access" to her Miss USA pages.
A challenging road ahead
Engelhardt witnessed the toll the role took on Voigt, who she considers a friend and former coworker. “I saw how anxious she would get when the owner would constantly email her,” she remembered. “She was constantly living in an anxious state.”
Despite the daily challenges, Voigt said she only made a few public appearances. In her letter, she stated that she had made only a few interviews in LA after her win and in Utah, the state she represented at Miss USA, and had "yet to make an appearance outside of Sarasota, Florida," where she resided. She attributed this to a "lack of communication" that she found "baffling."
“Our Miss USA, who should've been booked and busy with endless opportunities, was sitting around doing nothing, not because she didn't want to, but because of incompetent management,” Engelhardt said.
On May 9, the Miss USA pageant announced that Savannah Gankiewicz, Miss Hawaii USA 2023 and first-runner up to Voigt at the 2023 Miss USA pageant, would be inheriting the national title and responsibilities. Gankiewicz will be crowned on May 15.
“We are happy to crown Savannah Miss USA 2023, a true representation of vision, intelligence, and compassion,” Rose said in a statement. “Her dedication to empowering women through self-love and confidence is inspiring, and we look forward to her influential reign as Miss USA.”
“I fully support and respect Noelia's decision to step down, and I stand in solidarity with mental health awareness,” Gankiewicz added. “To my fellow Miss USA sisters, I think it's important for us to stand together for the future of the organization and the incoming class of 2024 and beyond.”
Both former pageant winners have received public support from people like Shanna Moakler, who oversaw Voigt's win as director of Miss Utah USA, and Cindy Provost and Debbie Miller, who oversaw Srivastava's win as directors of Miss New Jersey Teen USA. Engelhardt and White hope others will come forward to expose the controlling culture and possible legal consequences that are preventing the titleholders from speaking out.
“They need someone else to speak up for them,” White said.
CNN's Christy Choi, Leah Dolan, and Alex Rees contributed to this report.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
