Days after their daughters’ decisions to relinquish their pageant titles, the mothers of former Miss USA Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava are speaking out — in place of their daughters, who they say are still bound by non-disclosure agreements with the Miss USA organisation.
“The job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare,” Barbara Srivastava said on Good Morning America on Tuesday, sitting alongside Jackeline Voigt.
“We could not continue this charade. The girls decided to step down and give (up) their dream of a lifetime — a crown, a national title. Why would two girls decide to give that up?”
It is the first time the mothers have spoken publicly about the ordeal which roiled the pageant world last week.
It marked the first time a titleholder in Miss USA or Miss Teen USA had resigned, and both happened in quick succession.
On Instagram, UmaSofia Srivastava said her values “no longer aligned” with those of the organisation, while Noelia Voigt cited her mental health — though her long, cryptic statement seemed to spell out “I am silenced” in the first 11 sentences.
Speaking on Good Morning America, Jackeline declined to answer whether the supposed secret message was intentional. But responding to whether she feels as if her daughter was silenced, she said: “She is, and she would be the rest of her life if this NDA is not (lifted).”
Voigt’s resignation letter to Miss USA, obtained and published by CNN, revealed a range of allegations against Miss USA CEO Laylah Rose, including a “toxic work environment” rife with “bullying”.
According to the letter, Rose is “actively building a culture of fear and control, the antithesis of women’s empowerment, that is … unsafe for future titleholders and employees,” Voigt wrote.
Among the issues, Voigt claimed Rose failed to provide her with appropriate travel accommodations or an “effective handler” leading to an incident where she was left alone in a car with a stranger at a parade in Sarasota, Florida, where an unnamed man sexually harassed her, she wrote.
Her mother, who was with her in Sarasota, saw her just after the alleged incident occurred, she said in the interview.
“I saw Noelia so stressed out, and I said, ‘What happened?’ and she said, ‘mum, get in the car’,” she recalled. “He told Noelia, ‘Are you into old men with money?’ and made Noelia very, very uncomfortable.”
Rose did not apologise, according to Jackeline. In her resignation letter, Voigt said Rose told her the organisation “cannot prevent people saying things to you at public appearances” and that it is “unfortunately, part of the role”.
Barbara Srivastava said, during their reigning year, the titleholders were “ill-treated, abused, bullied and cornered”.
Jackeline called for the Miss Universe Organisation, which owns Miss USA, to “speak to us or apologise”. The parent organisation, owned by JKN Global Group, has been silent over the past week.
The Miss USA and Miss Universe Organisation did not immediately return a request for comment, and did not respond to CNN’s earlier requests for comments on Friday.
For now, the mothers are warning prospective pageant contestants about getting involved with Miss USA.
Miss USA runner-up Savannah Gankiewicz from Hawaii will step up and take the title but Miss Teen USA remains open, after runner-up Stephanie Skinner from New York declined to be crowned in a public statement on Instagram.
CNN has contacted the second runner-up, Miss Pennsylvania Teen Maggie Ross, asking whether she will take the title, but no announcement has been made.
“Look at what happened to Noelia and UmaSofia. Right now, it’s not the right time to participate,” Jackeline said.
“We just don’t want these families and these girls to go through what we’re going through.”
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.
In an emergency, call 000.
Advice and counselling for men concerned about their use of family violence: Men’s Referral Service, 1300 766 491.
