Miss USA Resignations Embroil Organization In 'Toxic' Workplace Allegations
HuffPost
Last year's Miss USA winner reportedly described an environment of "poor management," "bullying" and "harassment."
The winners of 2023′s Miss USA and Miss Teen USA competitions abruptly announced their resignations this week, thrusting the Miss USA Organization and its officials into the center of conversations about mental health and the treatment of pageant participants.
UmaSofia Srivastava said she was stepping down as Miss Teen USA on Wednesday, writing on social media that her “personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.” She told People that resigning “definitely was not my first choice.”
This came after Noelia Voigt announced that she was relinquishing her Miss USA crown Monday, citing mental health as a reason. But in a resignation letter, Voigt reportedly pointed to a “toxic” working environment and alleged that an incident of sexual harassment was brushed off by Miss USA Organization leadership.
“There is a toxic work environment within the Miss USA organization that, at best, is poor management and, at worst, is bullying and harassment,” her letter read, according to NBC News and ABC News. “This started soon after winning the title of Miss USA 2023.”
The resignations shocked the pageant community, which was still reeling after Cheslie Kryst, the winner of 2019′s Miss USA contest, died by suicide in 2022 following a long struggle with mental health issues. Now, just two years later, a pair of pageant winners have stepped down, with one of them citing her own mental health concerns.
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