Miss USA pageant resignations: An explainer of the organization's chaos — and what's next

Though Miss USA has filled the void left by Noelia Voigt with the 2023 Miss USA pageant runner-up, Hawaii's Savannah Gankiewicz, the pageant organization's troubles appear to be far from over.

In a historic move earlier this month, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA titleholders both resigned. Miss Teen USA has not announced a replacement for UmaSofia Srivastava.

On May 15, their mothers, Jackeline Voigt and Barbara Srivastava, claimed in a "Good Morning America" interview that the Miss USA organization mistreated their daughters. "The job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare," Srivastava said, adding, "They were ill-treated, abused, bullied and cornered."

The mothers called for Miss USA CEO and President Laylah Rose to resign, warning others to "really pay attention" to what happened to their daughters and stay away from the pageants.

Both pageants, which fall under the Miss Universe organization, took place in September 2023. They were the first hosted by Rose after Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart stepped down from the position a month prior, nearly a year after she faced allegations of rigging the Miss USA 2022 competition.

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They were also the first pageants under JKN Global Group's ownership; the Thai company acquired Miss Universe from the New York-based IMG Worldwide LLC in October 2022.

Here's everything we know about the bombshell Miss USA resignations and what might be next for the embattled pageants.

How did the Miss USA departures start?

According to Claudia Engelhardt, in late April, the Miss USA organization fired two of her colleagues, who were assistant national directors.

Following this, Engelhardt told USA TODAY, she made the "very tough decision" to leave what she calls a "dream job" as the organization's social media director. She shared a lengthy statement on Instagram on May 3 to publicly condemn "current management" for speaking in an "unprofessional and inappropriate" manner to its titleholders and engaging in "workplace toxicity and bullying."

"I was disrespected at my own job," Engelhardt told USA TODAY. "And then to see the way that they were treating the titleholders, I was like, you know what? Enough is enough."

Three days later, Voigt made the bombshell announcement of her resignation.

Miss USA versus Miss America:Everything you need to know about the pageants

Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA 2023 titleholder

Eight months following her Miss USA crowning, Voigt announced in a May 6 Instagram post that she was relinquishing her pageant title to preserve her mental health.

"Never could I have imagined the journey that my childhood dream would take me on," Voigt said in a lengthy statement. "Constant and consistent hard work and dedication all lead me to where I am today, and I hope that the last seven years of competing in pageantry and sharing my journey with you all is something that inspires you to never give up on your dreams, whatever they may be."

While Voigt acknowledged that her resignation might "come as a large shock to many," she advised readers to "never compromise your physical and mental well-being. Our health is our wealth."

Read more here:Miss USA Noelia Voigt makes 'tough decision' to step down. Read her full statement.

Noelia Voigt hints at being 'silenced' by Miss USA organization

Voigt's resignation sparked a flurry of online speculation after fans noted a strange detail about her statement.

In the comments of Voigt's Instagram post and elsewhere on social media, users noticed that taking the first letter in each sentence of her statement reveals the phrase "I AM SILENCED" — though this discounts the last three sentences, the first letters of which spell "HIP." It was not immediately clear whether the message was intentional.

Denise White, who's been working with Voigt and ex-Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava since their resignations, confirmed to USA TODAY that the former titleholders are bound by nondisclosure agreements "that are ironclad and in perpetuity."

Read more here:Did Miss USA Noelia Voigt's resignation statement contain a hidden message?

In an interview with USA TODAY, Miss USA 2023 contestant Alexis Loomans alleged that the contracts finalizing contestants' participation in the pageant were sent out on short notice — a submission deadline of approximately four hours — which made it difficult to seek legal counsel to review the terms of the lengthy contract.

"I think it was part of their plan because they knew how horrendous the contract was," Loomans said. "But none of us were going to question it. We were all just so excited to get up on that stage, and so we did, but that is what ultimately trapped Noelia or anyone else who could’ve won."

USA TODAY has reached out to the Miss USA Organization for comment.

Deep dive:A reminder of beauty pageants' controversial history

UmaSofia Srivastava resigns as Miss Teen USA 2023 titleholder

Just two days after Voigt's resignation was made public, Srivastava shared a lengthy statement May 8 announcing her departure because her "personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization."

"I am grateful for all the support from my family, my state directors, my sister queens, and the fans who have cheered me on since I won my state title," Srivastava wrote. "I will always look back on my time as Miss NJ Teen USA fondly, and the experience of representing my state as a first generation, Mexican-Indian American at the national level was fulfilling in itself."

Read more here:Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava resigns

Miss USA 2023 contestants back Noelia Voigt, call for 'full transparency' from pageant

In a joint statement shared on social media May 8, dozens of Miss USA 2023 contestants showed solidarity with Voigt.

"Prioritizing one's mental health is of the utmost importance, and we stand behind her," the statement read. "We are asking the Miss USA Organization to release Noelia from the confidentiality NDA clause of her contract, in perpetuity, so that she is free to speak on her experiences and time as Miss USA."

In an interview with USA TODAY, Miss USA 2023 contestants Alexis Loomans and Rachelle di Stasio condemned Voigt's inability to fully disclose her experiences at Miss USA.

"The biggest part about Miss USA is using your voice," Di Stasio said. "That’s your most powerful weapon, and the fact that that’s being taken away...goes against everything that I believe Miss USA represents."

Read more here:Miss USA contestants call for 'full transparency' from pageant amid Noelia Voigt's departure

Noelia Voigt calls Miss USA organization a 'toxic work environment'

Days after Voigt gave up her crown, NBC News and the New York Times obtained a copy of her resignation letter, which was shared with the Miss USA organization.

"There is a toxic work environment within the Miss USA organization that, at best, is poor management and, at worst, is bullying and harassment," Voigt wrote, according to the outlets.

In her resignation letter, Voigt said that Miss USA CEO and President Laylah Rose consistently failed to communicate and that when she did, she was "often cold and unnecessarily aggressive."

She also said she has been diagnosed with anxiety, for which she has been prescribed medication, and deals with "heart palpitations, full body shakes, loss of appetite, unintentional weight loss, loss of sleep, loss of hair, and more." According to NBC, she attributed these symptoms to "worrying about what Laylah (Rose) will pop up with and choose to harass me about daily."

Miss USA and Teen USA's moms speak out:Voigt and Srivastava were 'abused, bullied and cornered'

Former Miss USA staffer says organization caused winners' mental health decline

Englehardt, the former social media director, blames the Miss USA organization's new owner for Voigt and Srivastava's resignations.

"This stepping down of Noelia and Uma is a direct response to the current ownership and current management of the Miss USA brand," she told USA TODAY. "They are the ones that are responsible for Noelia and Uma's mental health decline. And it was documented that they knew it and they did nothing about it."

She made several claims about the ways the organization's owner, Laylah Rose, allegedly bullied Voigt during her reign.

"The owner (Rose) would constantly weaponize the contract that Noelia signed, the most airtight, egregious, binding contract you'd probably ever see," Engelhardt said. "She would copy and paste every single little clause anytime Noelia would do something that she didn't like and say, 'Well, per your contract, if you don't fix this that I didn't tell you about, we're going to withhold your salary.'"

She added, "And I don't know about you, but to have to live with that all the time, that is the definition of a toxic workplace."

Read more:Former Miss USA staffer's allegations against the pageant organization

Miss Teen USA runner-up Miss NY Teen declines position

On May 11, four days after Srivastava gave back her crown, the first runner-up in the 2023 Miss Teen USA competition revealed she'd declined the invitation to replace Srivastava.

Miss New York Teen USA Stephanie Skinner wrote in an Instagram post, "In light of recent events, I have decided to decline the title of Miss Teen USA 2023. This was not an easy decision. I hope for respect of my choice that this was a decision I never asked to make. 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."

Read more:Miss Teen USA runner-up declines position after UmaSofia Srivastava's resignation

CW says the network is 'evaluating' relationship with Miss USA

On May 13, The CW network announced it's "evaluating its relationship with both pageants" as the Miss USA organization is embroiled in allegations.

Brad Schwartz, CW's programming chief, told USA TODAY the network is "very, very concerned about" the allegations.

"Obviously, we don't condone bullying in any way, shape or form. We're taking it very seriously and gathering information; we don't want to act hastily or improperly," he said. "We want to support the women, but obviously we have a lot of questions about the organization."

Will there be a Miss America in 2024?

The 42nd Miss Teen USA pageant is scheduled for Aug. 1, and the 73rd Miss USA pageant is slated for Aug. 4.

What has the Miss USA organization said?

In a statement shared with USA TODAY on May 8 in response to Srivastava's resignation, Miss USA CEO and President Laylah Rose said, "Our all-encompassing goal at Miss USA is to celebrate and empower women. Our participants make a real difference in this country and around the globe."

Rose's statement continued, "All along, my personal goal as the head of this organization has been to inspire women to always create new dreams, have the courage to explore it all, and continue to preserve integrity along the way. I hold myself to these same high standards and I take these allegations seriously. Please be assured that the well-being of all individuals associated with Miss USA is my top priority."

Previously, in regards to Voigt's resignation, the organization said in a statement: "We respect and support former Miss USA Noelia Voigt’s decision to step down from her duties. The well-being of our titleholders is a top priority, and we understand her need to prioritize herself at this time."

Contributing: Erin Jensen, Gary Levin, Taijuan Moorman, Brendan Morrow and Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY