Miss USA 2024 was crowned following the abrupt resignation of the previous titleholders from the Miss USA organization.
The Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles served as the venue for the crowning of Miss USA 2024 on Sunday, August 4. Miss Kentucky Connor Perry was awarded the runner-up title in the competition, while Miss Oklahoma Danika Christopherson was awarded the second runner-up title. In the midst of the controversy and resignation of former title holders from the organization, Miss Michigan Alma Cooper was awarded the main title.
Miss USA 2024 is crowned in the midst of controversy.
The controversial departure of former title holders coincided with the outcome of the prominent beauty pageant. Noelia Voigt, Miss USA 2023, and UmaSofia Srivastava, former Miss Teen USA, resigned from their positions earlier this year. Voigt attributed her resignation to her mental health in an announcement, while Srivastava stated that her values “no longer fully align with the direction of the organization,” as reported by ABC News.
Voigt referenced the “toxic work environment within the Miss USA organization that, at best, is poor management and, at worst, is bullying and harassment” in her resignation letter. She further stated, “I was subjected to sexual harassment as a result of the lack of an effective handler at events, which resulted in me feeling unsafe.”
Voigt also stated in her appointment that Laylah Rose, the president and CEO of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA organizations, was “generally inaccessible for communication,” did not provide her with the necessary support, and even allegedly “slandered” her.
Savannah Gankiewicz, the Miss Hawaii 2023 runner-up, was appointed as the new Miss USA 2023 titleholder, while the Miss Teen USA 2023 position was awarded to another individual.
Voigt’s open letter to Laylah Rose
On May 30, Rose responded to the allegations made by Voigt with an open letter. In a section of the letter, she stated, “We are extremely disheartened by the recent false allegations made by individuals who are speaking on behalf of our former titleholder.”
She further added, “The allegations of sexual harassment, toxic environment and bullying are not true. To be clear, such behaviour is not accepted, and we can assure you that if such behaviour ever occurred, we would take immediate steps to protect our titleholder and provide access to appropriate resources.”
To which Voigt replied in an Instagram post where she claimed that a non-disclosure agreement restricted her from speaking her in public. The post read, “Laylah Roses’ assertions in her recent statement that contradict my experience after three weeks of unanswered resignation notification are unequivocally inaccurate,” Voigt wrote in her statement. “I strongly encourage her to waive our NDA to enable me to speak.”
In an additional section of her open letter, Rose provided the public with assurance that the Miss USA organization is undergoing a transformation, citing examples. “I am also working closely with the National Association for Mental Illness (NAMI) to ensure that all of our contestants have access to local resources for counseling and other forms of support,” she wrote on behalf of the Miss USA organization.
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