Accusations of racism, sexual harassment and rigging have plagued the organization in recent years, but no reigning titleholder has ever quit. Then Miss USA and Miss Teen USA resigned in the same week.
Miss USA Noelia Voigt at Arempas in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023.Laylah Rose says she won her first pageant at age 2. With dark, glossy hair and a measured smile, she went on to enter many more. Yet, even as a girl, she dreamed of something bigger. Rose didn’t only want to wear a sash, as her mother and grandmother had done before her: She wanted to run Miss USA.
In her first months in charge of the pageant, Rose got to work. She helped secure a multiyear deal with The CW to broadcast the Miss USA pageant for the first time since 2016. In an interview, Renato Basile, a Hollywood producer she hired to work on the production, credited her with “bringing the luster back to Miss USA and Miss Teen.”
The new Miss USA began making the typical preparations for the Miss Universe pageant, which was being held that November in El Salvador. In the past, the director of Miss USA had accompanied the winner to the global event. Voigt expected that Rose would do the same. In late May, Rose replied to Voigt in a 10-page letter obtained by the Times. In it, Rose denied Voigt’s accusations and accused her of carrying out a “smear campaign” against the organization. Rose wrote that she “immediately” discussed the incident at the Christmas parade with Voigt after being made aware of it.Srivastava, the Miss Teen USA, had her own tensions with the Miss USA organization — and with Rose specifically.
In March, Barbara Srivastava called Mario Bucaro, the vice president for international relations at Miss Universe, which oversees Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. She and her husband had several video calls with Rose and Bucaro, in hopes that the organization might address how their daughter was being treated.
The decision also affected hundreds of women around the country who compete in state-level pageants throughout the year, and often spend thousands of dollars on travel, attire, coaching and entry fees. Problems arose before the competition even started. To compete in Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, contestants were required to sign a 25-page “Official Entry Form/Contract,” which was obtained by the Times. The document authorized the organization to conduct “physical and mental examinations” of contestants and to request medical records from any doctor who had ever treated them.
Rose denied these allegations. “All teens were supervised and had both chaperones and security,” she wrote. Di Stasio had planned to talk about her experience as a survivor of sexual assault and her advocacy work, which had been her platform as Miss New York. Judges asked about her career in ballet. Then the conversation shifted: “The next question that this judge specifically asked me was: ‘Would you still be discussing your platform and talking about these issues if you were to become Miss USA?’” she recalled.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Former Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Tebow Reacts to Miss USA Scandal and Tim Tebow Biopic (Exclusive)Demi-Leigh Tebow caught up with ET on the red carpet at the 2024 ACM Awards.
Read more »
Miss Arizona hopes to inspire others on her journey to compete for Miss USALATEST FROM ABC15's KALEY O'KELLEY:
Read more »
What’s Going On With Miss USA Is Truly WildBeauty queens are resigning with dramatic, cryptic messages. How’d things get this bad?
Read more »
New Miss USA crowned more than a week after winner suddenly resigned, citing mental healthAmid turmoil surrounding the organization, the new titleholder Savannah Gankiewicz said she's dedicated to making a positive impact at Miss USA.
Read more »
Former Miss USA Noelia Voigt on Reinventing Her Style in Cannes After 'Heartbreaking' Exit (Exclusive)Former Miss USA Noelia Voigt tells PEOPLE about attending Cannes for the first time, reinventing her fashion sense after leaving pageantry and how she's feeling after relinquishing her title.
Read more »
Cheslie Kryst’s Mom April Simpkins on Mental Health, Miss USA ResignationsBecca Wood is a news and trending reporter for TODAY Digital based in New York City. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
Read more »