Miss USA and Miss Teen USA could have non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) retaining them silent, however their moms are talking out on their behalf and accusing the pageant group of abuse and bullying.
For the final week, the American pageant world has been rocked by the sudden twin resignations of each Noelia Voigt, ex-Miss USA, and UmaSofia Srivastava, ex-Miss Teen USA.
It’s already unparalleled for a titleholder to present again her crown, however hypothesis concerning the resignations solely grew when eagle-eyed followers seen a potential secret message in Noelia’s Might 6 social media submit about her choice to give up. When seen as an acrostic, the primary letters of the 11 sentences in her assertion spell, “I’m silenced.”
UmaSofia resigned days after Noelia, claiming “my private values not totally align with the route of the group.”
Throughout a Tuesday look on Good Morning America, Noelia’s mom, Jackeline Voigt, mentioned her daughter is certainly silenced, and can proceed to be if her NDA is just not lifted.
Jackeline declined to reply whether or not or not Noelia’s acrostic was intentional.
“The job of their goals turned out to be a nightmare,” Barbara Srivastava, UmaSofia’s mom, mentioned. “We couldn’t proceed this charade.”
Each Jackeline and Barbara mentioned their daughters had by no means struggled with their psychological well being earlier than successful their respective pageant titles. The moms allege their daughters have been bullied whereas employed by the Miss Universe Group, which owns Miss USA.
“She was so upset,” Jackeline mentioned of Noelia, 24. “This isn’t what she labored so exhausting for.
“The Miss Universe Group wants to come back out and communicate to us, or apologize.”
Barbara mentioned UmaSofia, 17, was mistreated by the Miss Universe Group and had her private social media accounts surveilled earlier than her resignation. She mentioned after seeing Noelia’s resignation, UmaSofia knew she needed to return her crown too.
“It’s not about what they didn’t get,” Barbara mentioned. “It’s about how they have been ill-treated, abused, bullied and cornered.”
Each mother and father instructed Good Morning America that Noelia and UmaSofia are silenced by confidentiality clauses of their contracts with the Miss Universe Group.
Jackeline and Barbara need Miss USA CEO Laylah Rose to step down from her place.
The moms mentioned they don’t want different girls and ladies to expertise the identical mistreatment they allege their daughters confronted. They known as for an finish to participation in all Miss USA-affiliated pageants.
“We simply don’t need these households and these ladies to undergo what we’re going by means of,” Jackeline mentioned.
The Miss USA Group instructed ABC Information, “We’re dedicated to fostering a wholesome, communicative and supportive surroundings for all contestants, state titleholders, nationwide titleholders and workers.”
Miss USA’s resignation letter
In Noelia’s resignation letter to the Miss Universe Group, which was revealed by a number of media retailers within the days after her announcement, the previous titleholder accused CEO Rose of making and permitting a “poisonous work surroundings.”
“There’s a poisonous work surroundings inside the Miss USA group that, at finest, is poor administration and, at worst, is bullying and harassment,” Noelia wrote in her letter. “This began quickly after successful the title of Miss USA 2023.”
Noelia mentioned after changing into Miss USA, she was recognized with nervousness and was later medicated. She allegedly additionally skilled flare-ups of a pre-existing medical situation that’s worsened by stress, leaving her with “coronary heart palpitations, full physique shakes, lack of urge for food, unintentional weight reduction, lack of sleep, lack of hair, and extra.”
She known as Rose “usually chilly and unnecessarily aggressive.”
“It’s extremely jarring to be making an attempt to do my job and continuously be threatened with disciplinary motion, together with taking away my wage, for issues that have been by no means mentioned with me and, if it associated to a public-facing submit for instance, have been inflicting no subject apart from not assembly her private desire,” she continued.
She didn’t present particular examples of when disciplinary motion was threatened.
In her letter, Noelia recounted an incident by which she allegedly confronted sexual harassment at a Christmas parade in Florida. She mentioned whereas she was alone within the automotive with a person, he “made a number of inappropriate statements to me about his need to enter right into a relationship with me.”
Jackeline mentioned Noelia was requested by the person if she is “into previous males with cash.”
“I used to be made to really feel unsafe at occasions with out an efficient handler, and this culminated in being sexually harassed,” Noelia wrote.
When Noelia confronted Rose concerning the incident, she was allegedly instructed the group couldn’t “forestall individuals from saying issues to you at public occasions” and was not supplied any help. Noelia claimed Rose instructed her the sexual harassment “is, sadly, a part of the position you’re in as a public determine.”
Noelia’s resignation letter contained a number of different allegations in opposition to Rose, particularly that she “weaponized” Noelia’s psychological well being struggles and known as the sweetness queen “‘mentally unwell’ in a derogatory means.”
Rose instructed NBC Information that “the well-being of all people related to Miss USA is my high precedence.”
“All alongside, my private aim as the pinnacle of this group has been to encourage girls to at all times create new goals, have the braveness to discover all of it, and proceed to protect integrity alongside the best way,” she mentioned. “I maintain myself to those identical excessive requirements and I take these allegations severely.”
Rose didn’t clarify particularly which allegations she was referring to.
