Miss USA 2023 is stepping down from her position as this year's reigning beauty queen, citing her personal wellbeing as the reason for her resignation.
"In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health," Noelia Voigt, who previously served as Miss Utah, wrote in an Instagram post that has garnered more than 17,000 likes.
"Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of Miss USA 2023."
Voigt acknowledged that her decision would come as a "shock" to many in the caption of her Instagram post. Some supporters even noted that the first letters of the first 11 sentences of her resignation post spelled out "I am silenced."
The Miss USA pageant is an annual competition that selects the United States' representative in the Miss Universe pageant. Voigt was crowned Miss USA in September 2023 and placed in the top 20 finalists at Miss Universe.
"Lifelong friendships and connections that I had the opportunity to make along the way while attending different events and competing at state pageants, Miss USA and Miss Universe are invaluable things I will be forever grateful for," Voigt wrote on Instagram.
"Every time someone asks me what my favorite part of being Miss USA was, I would always share with them how much I loved getting to work with Smile Train, being a fervent advocate for anti-bullying, dating violence awareness and prevention, immigration rights and reform and shedding light on my roots as the first Venezuelan American to win Miss USA."
The Miss USA organization thanked Voigt and expressed support for her decision to step down from her role.
"The well-being of our titleholders is a top priority, and we understand her need to prioritize herself at this time," the pageant wrote in an Instagram post. "We are currently reviewing plans for the transition of responsibilities to a successor, and we will soon announce the crowning of the new Miss USA."
