Miss USA insiders have leveled shocking claims against the pageant’s president, claiming things in the organization were so dire the winner was left homeless.
The allegations come after the reigning winners of Miss USA, Noelia Voigt, and Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, resigned within days of each other.
The winners suggested in their public statements that they were mistreated by the organization but could not say more due to nondisclosure agreements.
The newly-revealed claims are focused on Miss USA president and executive director Laylah Rose, who last summer bought the rights to manage the pageant for an initial payment of $1.5million.
Pageant insiders told The New York Times that Rose was ‘self-obsessed’ and created a toxic work environment that left contestants feeling taken advantage of and unprotected.
The allegations come after the reigning winners of Miss USA, Noelia Voigt, right, and Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, resigned from their titles within days of each other
Noelia’s mother said she had to pay her own way to accompany her daughter to the Miss Universe pageant after Rose did not go, citing a family matter.
The beauty queen was promised a $100,000 salary, a luxury car and an apartment in Los Angeles for the duration of her reign. However, the LA apartment never materialized, and Noelia, who had already moved out of her home in Utah, was forces to stay with friends.
While the prizes were advertised on the Miss USA broadcast, Rose told the NYT that only the salary was guaranteed.
It wasn’t until March, Miss USA finally provided Noelia with a car and a place to live in Miami.
The newly-revealed claims are focused on Miss USA president Laylah Rose, who last summer bought the rights to manage the pageant for an initial payment of $1.5 million
In her internal resignation letter seen by the Times, Noelia cited the issue with the promised prizes and said the title had affected her health, causing her anxiety and forcing her to take medication to manage it.
Noelia also cited an incident where she claims she was sexually harassed during a Christmas parade in Florida when the driver of her car asked her if she was ‘into old men with money.’
She said the organization failed to support her when she reported the incident.
In a 10-page response to Noelia’s resignation, Rose accused her of carrying out a ‘smear campaign’ against Miss USA.
Miss Teen USA’s UmaSofia’s mom Barbara Srivastava told the Times said Rose could be ‘abrasive’ in emails to her then-16-year-old daughter.
The models’ resignation was coordinated alongside the resignation of Miss USA social media manager Claudia Michelle (pictured, centre), who stepped down on May 3
Barbara Srivastava (left) and Jackeline Voigt have spoken out about their daughters’ resignations from Miss USA and Miss Teen USA
Barbara said she eventually asked Rose to stop communicating with her daughter directly.
‘I said, ‘I don’t want that woman bullying my daughter,» she said.
Both Noelia and UmaSofia declined to speak to the Times, citing nondisclosure agreements they have signed.
Women who participated in Miss USA under Rose, meanwhile, said the content was like the ‘Fyre Fest’ of pageants, referencing the infamous failed music festival.
Miss USA and Miss Teen USA contestants were reportedly required to to sign a 25-page document that authorized the organization to conduct ‘physical and mental examinations’ of contestants and to request their medical records.
The mandatory document also covered the organization if they wanted to fire Miss USA in the case of ‘facial or physical disfigurement.’
Users in the comments of were quick to point out that the first letter of each sentence in Voigt’s (pictured) message spelled out ‘I AM SILENCED,’ insinuating that there was more to the story than the former pageant queen was allowed to say
The announcements sent shockwaves around the beauty industry, especially after fans noticed that the first letter of each sentence of Noelia’s statement spell out, ‘I AM SILENCED’
Meanwhile Claudia Michelle Engelhardt, who resigned as social media director for Miss USA in May, said Rose used the official Miss USA and Miss Teen USA to leave positive comments about herself that looked as if they were written by the beauty queens.
Noelia and UmaSofia’s resignations last month left the longstanding pageant group without its top two titleholders for the first time in 72 years and drew calls for more transparency.
The former Miss USA announced her departure from the organization in an Instagram post , citing her decision to prioritize her mental and physical wellbeing.
‘In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health,’ she wrote.
‘My journey as Miss USA has been incredibly meaningful, representing Utah with pride, and later the USA at Miss Universe. Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of Miss USA 2023.’
Users in the comments were quick to point out that the first letter of each sentence in Voigt’s message spelled out ‘I AM SILENCED,’ insinuating that there was more to the story than the former pageant queen was allowed to say.
The sudden resignation of Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava (pictured) has prompted calls from former contestants to release former Utah representative Noelia Voigt of her NDA with the organization
‘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,’ Srivastava’s statement (pictured) read
Just two days after she gave up her title as the Miss USA representative, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia announced her resignation in an Instagram post, which looked eerily similar to Noelia’s.
‘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,’ her statement read.
The caption of the statement read, ‘While this was certainly not how I saw my reign coming to a close, I am excited to continue my advocacy for education and acceptance, start applying to colleges, and share some exciting new projects.’
The 17-year-old thanked her family and fans, said she was glad to represent her state as a first-generation Mexican Indian American and noted she was eager to apply to colleges and work on her multi-lingual children’s book.
A caption accompanying the statement said ‘this was certainly not how I saw my reign coming to a close’ but called the experience a privilege.
