Miss Teen USA resigns from post, following Miss USA
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 organization,” Srivastava wrote on Instagram.
Representing New Jersey, Srivastava was crowned the winner of the Miss Teen USA pageant, which was held in Reno, Nevada in September.
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 U.N. 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 hundreds of comments posted on Instagram and on other social media platforms.
Laylah Rose, the chief executive and president of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, said she and the organization had received support since the resignations.
“I know all of us who love the program want to rush out and do something,” Rose said. “My goal is to provide truly helpful steps we can take together.” She did not elaborate what those steps might entail.
“Our all-encompassing goal at Miss USA is to celebrate and empower women,” Rose said. She added that the organization’s goal was to inspire women and to preserve integrity while doing so.
“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. “Rest assured that the well-being of all individuals associated with Miss USA is my top priority.”
Miss Teen USA responded to Srivastava’s resignation on Instagram, thanking her for her time in the role. The organization said it would soon announce the crowning of a new Miss Teen USA but didn’t elaborate beyond that.