5 months ago
35
UmaSofia Srivastava
, who was crowned Miss Teen USA in 2023, resigned her post Wednesday after "months of grappling with this decision", two days after
Noelia Voigt
stepped down as
Miss USA
. "After careful consideration, I have decided to resign as I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organisation," Srivastava wrote on Instagram.
Srivastava did not respond to requests for comment.
Representing New Jersey, Srivastava was crowned the winner of the Miss Teen USA
pageant
, which was held in Reno, Nevada, in Sept. Her bio on the Miss Teen USA website describes Srivastava as "the first Mexican Indian Miss New Jersey Teen USA", adding that she "hopes to become a UN ambassador."
On Monday, after Voigt announced her
resignation
as Miss USA to focus on her mental health, online speculation abounded about the reason for her decision. Pageant fans noticed that the first letters of the first 11 sentences in Voigt's statement spelled: "I am silenced." After Srivastava's statement, many people showed their support for the two women in comments posted on social media.
Laylah Rose, CEO and prez of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, said "our all-encompassing goal at Miss USA is to celebrate and empower women". "I hold myself to these same high standards and I take these allegations seriously," she wrote, but declined to say which allegations she was referring to.
Miss Teen USA responded to Srivastava's resignation on Instagram, thanking her for her time in the role. The organisation said it would soon announce the crowning of a new Miss Teen USA. Miss USA posted a similar response to Voigt's statement earlier in the week.
Other Miss USA contestants came out to support Voigt on Wednesday. Derby Chukwudi, Miss New Jersey USA 2023, posted a statement on Instagram in which she stated that the majority of the members of the Miss USA 2023 class supported Voigt's decision. The statement also asked the Miss USA organisation to release Voigt from her nondisclosure agreement so that she could speak up about her experiences. Voigt and Srivastava supported each other's resignation posts. "I love you so much, Noelia," Srivastava wrote. "You are incredibly strong."
For now, Srivastava wrote, she will focus on finishing 11th grade and on applying to colleges, and will continue her blog, 'That's Fan Behavior'.
