Miss USA insiders have made shocking accusations against the pageant’s president, claiming that things at the organization were so dire that the winner was left homeless.
The allegations come after reigning Miss USA winners Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava resigned within days of each other.
The winners suggested in their public statements that they were mistreated by the organization but could not say more due to confidentiality agreements.
The newly revealed claims center on Miss USA president and CEO Laylah Rose, who last summer purchased the rights to run the pageant for an upfront payment of $1.5 million.
Pageant experts told the New York Times that Rose was “obsessed with herself” and created a toxic work environment that left contestants feeling taken advantage of and unprotected.
The allegations come after reigning Miss USA winners Noelia Voigt, right, and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava relinquished their titles within days of each other.
Noelia’s mother said she had to pay for her own travel to accompany her daughter to the Miss Universe pageant after Rose didn’t go, citing a family matter.
The beauty queen was promised a salary of $100,000, a luxury car and an apartment in Los Angeles during her reign. However, the Los Angeles apartment never materialized and Noelia, who had already moved out of her home in Utah, was forced to stay with friends.
As the awards were announced on the Miss USA telecast, Rose told the NYT that only the salary was guaranteed.
It wasn’t until March that Miss USA finally provided Noelia with a car and a place to live in Miami.
The newly revealed claims center on Miss USA president Laylah Rose, who last summer purchased the rights to run the pageant for an upfront payment of $1.5 million.
In her internal resignation letter seen by the Times, Noelia cited the issue of promised awards and said the title had affected her health, causing her anxiety and forcing her to take medication to control it.
Noelia also cited an incident in which she claims she was sexually harassed during a Christmas parade in Florida when the driver of her car asked her if she liked old men with money.
She said the organization did not support her when she reported the incident.
In a 10-page response to Noelia’s resignation, Rose accused her of waging a ‘smear campaign’ against Miss USA.
Miss Teen USA UmaSofia’s mother, Barbara Srivastava, told the Times that Rose could be “abrasive” in emails to her 16-year-old daughter.
The models’ resignation was coordinated alongside the resignation of Miss United States social media manager Claudia Michelle (pictured, center), who resigned on May 3.
Barbara Srivastava (left) and Jackeline Voigt have spoken out about their daughters’ resignations from Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.
Barbara said she eventually asked Rose to stop communicating directly with her daughter.
“I said, ‘I don’t want that woman to bully my daughter,'” she said.
Both Noelia and UmaSofia declined to speak to the Times, citing confidentiality agreements they signed.
Meanwhile, women who participated in Miss USA under Rose said the content was like the ‘Fyre Fest’ of pageants, referencing the infamous failed music festival.
Miss USA and Miss Teen USA contestants were reportedly required to sign a 25-page document authorizing the organization to conduct “physical and mental examinations” of the contestants and request their medical records.
The mandatory document also covered the organization if they wanted to fire Miss USA in case of ‘facial or physical disfigurement.’
Users in the comments were quick to point out that the first letter of each sentence in Voigt’s message (pictured) read ‘I AM SILENT,’ hinting that there was more to the story than the former pageant queen was letting on. allowed him to say.
The announcements sent shockwaves through the beauty industry, especially after fans noticed that the first letter of each sentence of Noelia’s statement read, “I AM SILENT.”
Meanwhile, Claudia Michelle Engelhardt, who resigned as Miss USA’s social media director in May, said Rose used the official Miss USA and Miss Teen USA to leave positive comments about her that appeared to be written by beauty queens.
The resignations of Noelia and UmaSofia last month left the long-standing pageant group without its two top champions for the first time in 72 years and sparked calls for greater transparency.
The former Miss USA announced her departure from the organization in an Instagram post, citing her decision 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,” 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.”
Users in the comments were quick to point out that the first letter of each sentence in Voigt’s message read ‘I AM SILENT,’ hinting that there was more to the story than the former pageant queen was allowed to say.
The sudden resignation of Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava (pictured) has sparked calls from former contestants to release former Utah representative Noelia Voigt from her confidentiality agreement with the organization.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to resign as I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization,” Srivastava’s (pictured) statement read.
Just two days after she relinquished her title as Miss USA representative, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia announced her resignation in an Instagram post, which looked eerily similar to Noelia’s.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to resign as I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization,” his statement read.
The title of the statement read: “While that certainly wasn’t how I saw my reign come to an end, I’m excited to continue advocating for education and acceptance, start applying to colleges, and share some interesting new projects.”
The 17-year-old thanked her family and fans, said she was happy to represent her state as a first-generation Mexican-Indian American, and noted that she was looking forward to applying to colleges and working on her multilingual children’s book.
A caption accompanying the statement read, “That was certainly not how I saw my reign come to an end,” but he called the experience a privilege.