Miss USA workers make shocking claims about pageant president as it’s claimed winner quit after she was left homeless following her victory
Miss USA insiders have made shocking claims against the pageant’s chairman, claiming that matters within the organization were so dire that the winner was left homeless.
The allegations come after the reigning winners of Miss USA, Noelia Voigt, and Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, resigned within days of each other.
The winners suggested in their public statements that they had been mistreated by the organization, but were unable to say more due to non-disclosure agreements.
The newly revealed claims target Miss USA president and executive director Laylah Rose, who bought the rights to manage the pageant last summer for an initial payment of $1.5 million.
Pageant insiders told The New York Times that Rose was “self-obsessed” and created a toxic work environment that left contestants feeling abused and unprotected.
The allegations come after the reigning winners of Miss USA, Noelia Voigt (right), and Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, resigned their titles within days of each other.
Noelia’s mother said she had to pay her own expenses to accompany her daughter to the Miss Universe pageant after Rose didn’t go, citing a family matter.
The beauty queen was promised a $100,000 salary, a luxury car and an apartment in Los Angeles for the duration of her reign. However, the LA apartment never got off the ground and Noelia, who had already moved out of her home in Utah, had to stay with friends.
While the awards were announced during the Miss USA broadcast, 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 target Miss USA President Laylah Rose, who bought the rights to manage the pageant last summer for an initial payment of $1.5 million.
In her internal resignation letter, seen by the Times, Noelia cited the problem with the promised prizes, saying the title had affected her health, caused her anxiety and forced her to take medication to cope.
Noelia also cited an incident in which she claims she was sexually harassed at 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 then 16-year-old daughter.
The models’ resignation coincided with the resignation of Miss USA social media manager Claudia Michelle (pictured, center), who resigned on May 3.
Barbara Srivastava (left) and Jackeline Voigt have spoken out about their daughters’ dismissal 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 bullying my daughter,’” she said.
Both Noelia and UmaSofia declined to speak to the Times, citing confidentiality agreements they had signed.
Women who competed in Miss USA under Rose said the content resembled the “Fyre Fest” of pageants, referring to 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 contestants and request their medical records.
The mandatory document also covered the organization if it wanted to dismiss Miss USA in the 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 (pictured) post read: “I AM SILENCED,” insinuating that there was more to the story than the former pageant queen was allowed 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 SILENCED.”
Meanwhile, Claudia Michelle Engelhardt, who resigned as Miss USA social media director in May, said Rose used the official Miss USA and Miss Teen USA to leave positive comments about herself that looked like they were written by the beauty queens.
The resignations of Noelia and UmaSofia last month left the long-standing election group without its top two title holders for the first time in 72 years and sparked calls for more transparency.
The former Miss USA announced her departure from the organization in an Instagram post, citing her decision to prioritize her mental and physical well-being.
“In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that are best for you and your mental health,” she wrote.
“My journey as Miss USA has been incredibly meaningful, proudly representing Utah and later the USA 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 post read “I AM SILENCED,” insinuating 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 led to calls from former contestants to release former Utah representative Noelia Voigt from her NDA with the organization.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to resign as I feel that my personal values are no longer fully aligned with the direction of the organization,” Srivastava’s statement (pictured) reads.
Just two days after relinquishing her title as Miss USA representative, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia announced her resignation in an Instagram post, which was eerily similar to Noelia’s.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to resign as I feel that my personal values are no longer fully aligned with the direction of the organization,” her statement said.
The caption of the statement read: “While this certainly wasn’t the way I saw my reign ending, I’m excited to continue my advocacy for education and acceptance, start applying to colleges, and take on some exciting new projects to share.’
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 eager to apply to colleges and work on her multilingual children’s book.
A caption on the statement read: “This was certainly not how I saw my reign ending,” but called the experience a privilege.