The current Miss United States, Noelia Voigt, announced her resignation just seven months after winning the pageant to focus on her “physical and mental well-being.”
Voigt, 24, declared he was resigning in a statement posted to Instagram on Monday, days after posting a photo taken at the Kentucky Derby.
“In life, I highly value the importance of making decisions that are best for you and your mental health,” he wrote.
‘My journey as Miss United States has been incredibly meaningful, proudly representing Utah and later the United States at Miss Universe. Unfortunately, I have made the very difficult decision to relinquish the title of Miss USA 2023.”
Voigt received the title last September after campaigning on anti-bullying messages, dating violence awareness and immigration reform. She was the first Venezuelan-American woman to win the pageant.
Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt announced her resignation in an Instagram post, days after appearing at the Kentucky Derby
Voigt, 24, was crowned last September after campaigning on anti-bullying and immigration reform messages, but plans to step down to prioritize her “physical and mental well-being.”
“In life, I highly value the importance of making decisions that are best for you and your mental health,” Voigt wrote in Monday’s announcement.
“I realize this may come as a big surprise to many,” Voigt captioned the post. “Never compromise your physical and mental well-being.”
Her announcement came just days after she appeared at the Kentucky Derby wearing a dress by Sherri Hill, a brand she has worked with extensively in the past.
Miss USA is a national beauty pageant that selects the United States participant in the Miss Universe pageant. It has been celebrated every year since 1952.
Shortly after Voigt’s announcement, the Miss USA Organization released its own statement on social media.
‘Thank you, Noelia, for your service as Miss USA. We wish them the best in this next chapter,’ the statement began.
‘We respect and support the decision of former Miss USA Noelia Voigt to step down from her duties. The well-being of our champions is a top priority and we understand her need to prioritize herself at this time.”
The organization added that it has begun the process of transferring Voigt’s responsibilities to a successor.
The competition, which is billed as “a staple in the beauty pageant industry,” has long been marred by controversy and tragedy.
The Miss USA Organization issued its own statement thanking Voigt for her ‘service’ and announcing that a successor would assume her responsibilities.
The pageant has been marred by controversy, including the suicide of Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst.
Kryst, who jumped to her death from a Manhattan skyscraper in January 2022, detailed in a posthumous memoir how the backlash over her victory led her to take her own life.
Several contestants later alleged that former vice president of the Miss USA Organization, Max Sebrechts, had sexually harassed them.
Sebrechts’ wife, Crystle Stewart, a former winner, was suspended from her position as national director of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA and later resigned.
Miss United States 2019, Cheslie Kryst, jumped to her death from a Manhattan skyscraper in January 2022.
In a posthumous memoir published last month, Kryst detailed how the backlash she faced following her victory led to her decision to take her own life.
The same year as his death, contestants accused the organization of giving preferential treatment to R’Bonney Gabriel, who was ultimately crowned the winner.
As an investigation was launched, Miss USA’s coordinating corporation, Miss Brands, was suspended by the Miss Universe World Organization.
Allegations of sexual harassment later surfaced, with several contestants alleging that former vice president of the Miss USA Organization, Max Sebrechts, made unwanted advances toward them.
Amid the fallout, Sebrechts’ wife, Crystle Stewart, a former winner, was suspended from her position as national director of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.
He officially resigned in August 2023 and was replaced by fashion designer Laylah Rose.
Miss USA later announced that the manipulation allegations had been disproved through an “extensive investigation.”
Voigt’s resignation is also not the first time a winner has relinquished her title.
Mary Leona Gage, the winner of the pageant in 1957, was forced to resign when it was revealed that she had lied about her age and covered up other details about her life, including the fact that she was twice married and the mother of two young children.
In an online biography, Voight said his dream is to “establish his own design company and host a television show, where he can help families who need a home renovation.”
She won a series of competitions before being named Miss USA, including Miss Teen Florida United States, Miss Collegiate America and Miss Alabama USA.
She is the author of a children’s book dedicated to a nine-year-old boy who committed suicide due to bullying and has worked extensively with Smile Train.
It is unclear whether Voigt will now focus on the goals laid out in a biography on the Miss USA Organization’s website.
According to the bio, her dream is to “establish her own design company and host a television show, where she can help families who need a home renovation.”
Voigt was born in Sarasota, Florida, to a Venezuelan mother and American father, Jack David Voigt, a professional baseball player whose extensive career included a stint as a coach with the New York Mets.
She attended Pine View School for the Gifted in Osprey, Florida, and won the Miss Teen Florida United States pageant at age 18. After graduating, she attended the University of Alabama and the United Kingdom’s National Academy of Design.
Voigt previously participated in the Miss Collegiate America pageant system, earning the title of Miss Alabama Collegiate America in 2020.
Shortly after her victory, she wrote a children’s book titled ‘Maddie the Brave’ in honor of Madison Whittsett, a nine-year-old Alabama girl who committed suicide after relentless bullying by her school peers.
After reaching the first runner-up position at Miss Alabama USA for the second consecutive time, Voigt moved to Utah in April 2023 and competed for the title of Miss Utah USA 2023.
She won her state adoption pageant and went on to represent Utah at Miss USA 2023.
Following his coronation, Voight embarked on a world tour promoting Smile Train, a nonprofit organization that provides funding and support to medical professionals to perform free cleft palate surgeries.