Fil-Am Miss USA 2023 refutes harassment claims by former titleholder
savannahmarai/Instagram, noeliavoigt/Instagram
Filipino American Miss Hawai’i, Breea Yamat, recently secured a spot in the top 10 of the Miss USA pageant. While Michigan’s Alma Cooper took home the crown and will represent the United States at the 2024 Miss Universe in Mexico, the pageant continues to be overshadowed by controversies involving former titleholders.
In the 2023 edition of the pageant, Miss Hawai’i USA Savannah Gankiewicz finished as the first runner-up to Noelia Voigt of Utah. Although Voigt raised the US flag in the 2023 Miss Universe, securing a semi-final spot, the Fil-Am Hawaiian beauty ascended to the title after Voigt stepped down amid unprecedented turmoil within the Miss USA Organization.
It didn’t end there. The 17-year-old Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava of New Jersey also resigned shortly after Voigt’s departure. Reports suggest that these resignations were due to bullying, harassment and silencing by the organization.
Speculating, social media users and pageant fans highlighted a letter shared by Voigt on Instagram, where the first letter of each sentence spelled out “I AM SILENCED.”
Supporters and even her pageant sisters, like Miss Universe Finland 2023 Paula Susanna Joukanen, commented, “#LetNoeliaSpeak.”
View this post on Instagram
Despite these allegations, Gankiewicz, in an interview with Fox News, dismissed the claims after three months with the organization.
“Now that I have been Miss USA for almost three months, I can now say that it’s all false. The organization is amazing. Laylah Rose, the president, has been nothing but kind to me. I’ve enjoyed every single second,” Gankiewicz stated in an interview with the American news outlet.
She further praised the generosity of president and CEO Laylah Rose, expressing dismay over the bullying allegations against Rose.
In response to Gankiewicz’s statements, Voigt expressed her disappointment, stating that dismissing the experiences and feelings of those who left the organization was “very disheartening.”
Taking to Instagram, Voigt wrote a lengthy post about her stint as Miss USA, beginning with, “Posting this in the middle of moving mayhem, so my apologies in advance if this isn’t the most eloquently written post I have made.”
In the post, she emphasized her stance against bullying and pitting women against each other, a sentiment she has consistently expressed.
View this post on Instagram
“I have never and will never condone bullying or pitting women against each other in any way, shape, or form—a sentiment I have expressed publicly throughout the years and also after the current representative assumed the title. With that being said, I would like to wish the outgoing representative, Savannah, all the best in her future endeavors,” she wrote.
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