Miss Teen USA Quits 2 Days After Miss USA Amid ‘Toxic’ Workplace & ‘Bullying’ Allegations

Just days after Miss USA Noelia Voigt announced she was giving up the crown seven months into her reign, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava has also stepped down, stating her “personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”

Srivastava revealed the news on Instagram on Wednesday, May 8, sharing a lengthy letter where she explained her decision. “After months of grappling with this decision, I have made the choice to resign from the title of Miss Teen USA 2023,” she wrote.

She went on to say she is “grateful” for the support from her family, friends, fans and “sister queens,” but noted, “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.”

The 17-year-old, who represented New Jersey, said she was honored to represent her state as a first-generation Mexican-Indian American and vowed to continue advocating for education and acceptance with her multi-lingual children’s book, The White Jaguar.

UmaSofia Instagram

“This work has always been my TRUE purpose,” she wrote. “At the end of the day, I am so lucky to have had the privilege of this experience, but if this is just a chapter, I know that the story of my life will truly be incredible.”

“Most importantly, thank you to those who have supported me for whom I am and have always been, not for who I’ve momentarily become,” she concluded.

Srivastava’s announcement comes just two days after Voigt resigned from her crown. “Never compromise your physical and mental well-being. Our health is our wealth,” Voigt captioned the social media message announcing her decision.

“My journey as Miss USA has been incredibly meaningful, representing Utah with pride, and later the USA at Miss Universe (held in November). Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of Miss USA 2023,” she added.

 

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A post shared by Noelia Voigt (@noeliavoigt)

This followed Miss USA social media manager Claudia Michelle stepping down from her position on May 3. “I feel the way current management speaks about their titleholders is unprofessional and inappropriate; I disavow workplace toxicity and bullying of any kind,” Michelle wrote in an Instagram statement.

She added, “I believe Noelia and Uma’s mental health and happiness has taken a toll and I cannot remain silent about that.”

 

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A post shared by Claudia Michelle (@missclaudiamichelle)

According to the New York Post, insiders said, “This toxic atmosphere is a serious concern. There is an urgent need for intervention at the leadership level.”

“Noelia wakes up every day on pins and needles because of harassing emails [from pageant organizers]: ‘Don’t do this,’ ‘Don’t do that,’ ‘Take that post down,’ Unlike that post.’ ‘You can’t speak to anybody, remember your NDA you can’t go here unless we confirm,’” a source told The Post. “It’s micromanaged to the 10th degree and harassing.”

“The decision [to quit] was not easy. Noelia and UmaSofia are extremely dedicated people who worked incredibly hard for the pageant. The decisions were not taken lightly. They all decided to do this together,” another insider sshared. “They are afraid of speaking out more at this time because of the organization. They don’t want this to have any lasting harmful effect on their futures.”