The Miss USA pageant will now have to fill not one but two vacant thrones, after Miss Teen USA resigned from her position, just two days after her adult counterpart also gave up her crown.
"After months of grappling with this decision, I have made the choice to resign from the title of Miss Teen USA 2023," UmaSofia Srivastava wrote in a May 8 Instagram post, adding that her "personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization."
The official Miss Teen USA Instagram account responded to Srivastava's post by wishing her the best and thanking her for her service.
"We respect and support UmaSofia's decision to step down from her duties. The well-being of our titleholders is a top priority," the post read. "We are currently reviewing plans for the transition of responsibilities to a successor, and we will soon announce the crowning of the new Miss Teen USA."
Former Miss USA Noelia Voigt acknowledged Srivastava by name in her resignation post, on May 6, describing the high schooler as her "darling, beloved" friend. Voigt's decision shocked many in the pageant community, with some supporters noting that the first letters of the first 11 sentences of her post spelled out "I am silenced."
"In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health," Voigt wrote in her Instagram post. "My journey as Miss USA has been incredibly meaningful, representing Utah with pride, and later the USA at Miss Universe. Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of Miss USA 2023."
When Srivastava resigned from her position, Voigt was among the first commenters on her Instagram post.
"I LOVE YOU," she wrote. "So proud of you, my angel."
Many fans criticized the organization for using similar boilerplate language when responding to Voigt and Srivastava's resignations. Some called on the organization for more transparency and to address the issues that led to both beauty queens resigning mid-reign.
The organization's social media director Claudia Michelle announced her own resignation on May 3, in a social media post detailing her own issues with the organization.
"I have had the privilege to work with Noelia closely and have unfortunately seen a decline in her mental health since we first met. I feel like her ability to share her story and her platform have been diminished," Michelle wrote - noting that she could be open because she had not signed a non-disclosure agreement."I have firsthand seen the disrespect towards Uma and her family."
Fellow beauty queens and Miss USA competitors also supported Voigt's resignation on social media.
"The majority of the members of the Miss USA Class of 2023 support Noelia Voigt's decision to resign from the title of Miss USA," Srivastava's state-level adult counterpart Derby Chukwudi wrote on Instagram.
"We are asking the Miss USA Organization to release Noelia from the confidentially NDA clause of her contract, in perpetuity, so that she is free to speak on her experiences and time as Miss USA. We request a response within 24 hours."
