What. Is. Happening?!?
Just two days after the new Miss USA Noelia Voigt resigned from her role — citing mental health reasons — another pageant winner has followed suit. Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava has just announced she’s also giving up her crown! Huh?!
The 17-year-old took to her Instagram to share the shocking news with fans on Wednesday, revealing she’s been “grappling with this decision” for “months”! She thanked all her friends and family for the support that helped her achieve this dream, sharing:
“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.”
Her “personal values”… Yikes… That’s a huge clue that there’s some drama behind the scenes! Well, that and the fact Noelia’s statement included a hidden message that read, “I am silenced.” Crazy!
Related: Was Kim Kardashian’s Shocking Met Gala Corset DANGEROUS?!
UmaSofia then switched focus from pageantry altogether, saying the advocacy she did with various organizations and through her “multi-lingual children’s book The White Jaguar” have always been her “TRUE purpose”! Huh. She said:
“I look forward to the rest of the year as I finish 11th grade as part of the National Honor Society and start the college application process, knowing that my academic career has been defined by my hard work, and my hard work alone. I’m also looking forward to pursuing a new writing project which will become available to subscribers of That’s Fan Behavior [her blog]. Most importantly, thank you to those who support me for who I am and have always been, not for who I’ve momentarily become.”
In her caption, she added:
“Thank you to everyone who has supported me these past two years, it has truly been an honor to represent you all. While this was certainly not how I saw my reign coming to a close, I am excited to continue my advocacy for education and acceptance, start applying to colleges, and share some exciting new projects on That’s Fan Behavior with those of you who plan to stick around. 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.”
Innerestingly, Noelia showed her support by commenting:
“I LOVE YOU! So proud of you my angel.”
Check out UmaSofia’s full statement HERE. The Miss Teen USA social media account reacted to the news — but they gave basically the same generic statement they did with Noelia. See (below):
What do these two have in common? Is there some thread here? Both Miss USA winners made history with UmaSofia being the first Mexican-Indian contestant to win Miss New Jersey Teen USA. Voigt was the first Venezuelan-American woman to win Miss USA. Hmm…
Their sudden departures come amid a ton of upheaval for the organization. Back in 2022, Miss USA contestants claimed the pageant had been rigged. And before that in 2021, vice president of Miss USA, Max Sebrechts, was forced to step down amid allegations he sexually harassed contestants during that year’s pageant. His wife, Crystle Stewart, stepped down as president of Miss USA in August 2023 and was replaced by Laylah Rose, the current president. Lots of turnover is never a great sign. Did both learn something darker after getting their crowns? Is that what’s going on?
It’s unheard of to have both titleholders walk away early so something bad must be going down! Something tells us this is just the canary in the coal mine…
Any guesses on what might be happening?? Share them in the comments!
[Image via Inside Edition/YouTube]
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