Barely a week after both Miss USA and Miss Teen USA announced their resignations, their mothers are speaking out.
Barbara Srivastava, mother of Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava, and Jackeline Voigt, mother of Miss USA Noelia Voigt, appeared on Good Morning America and spoke on their daughters' behalf, claiming the organization's management was to blame for the sudden exits.
On May 6, Voigt announced her resignation via Instagram, writing she was taking time to prioritize her mental health.
She added in the caption:
"Never compromise your physical and mental well-being. "
"Our health is our wealth."
While the announcement seemed to come out of nowhere and was shocking enough, fans became alarmed after some noticed that her statement contained a hidden message.
They pointed out that the first letter from each sentence of Voigt's statement spelled out:
"I AM SILENCED"
Then, just two days later, Srivastava announced she was stepping down, writing in her statement on Instagram:
“After careful consideration, I’ve decided to resign as I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”
@umasofias/Instagram
Because the two are bound by contracts with confidentiality clauses, they are unable to discuss their experiences.
So their mothers are speaking out.
UmaSofia's mother Barbara told Good Morning America:
"The job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare."
"We could not continue this charade. The girls decided to step down, give [up] their dream of a lifetime, a crown, a national title - why would two girls - decide to give that up?"
When asked about the "I AM SILENCED" message in Noelia Voigt's Instagram post, her mother Jackeline replied:
"She is and she will be the rest of her life if this NDA [Non-disclosure agreement] isn’t being lifted."
"The girls need to speak."
According to Noelia's resignation letter obtained by GMA, the former Miss USA wrote of Laylah Rose, the president of the Miss USA organization, and the organization itself:
"There is a toxic work environment within the Miss USA organization that, at best, is poor management, at worst, is bullying and harassment."
"I was made to feel unsafe at events without an effective handler and this culminated in being sexually harassed."
Jackeline recounted a time Noelia received unwanted advances from a man at a Christmas parade.
"I saw Noelia so stress[ed] out. And I said, 'What happened?'"
"And she said, 'Mom, get in the car. Get in the car.'"
"When I got in the car, I say, 'What happened,' because I know he say something, but I couldn't get it."
"He told Noelia, 'Are you into old men with money,' and made Noelia very, very uncomfortable."
But Rose's response to the harassment Noelia endured was:
"We cannot prevent people from saying things to you at public appearances."
Jackeline continued:
"After she resigned, Noelia came back home. And it was so beautiful to see her running in my living room with the dogs. I had my Noelia back."
"She was so upset. This is not what she worked so hard for."
She added:
"Then Miss Universe organization need to come out and speak to us, or apologize, or clean this mess."
Barbara shared similar sentiments regarding UmaSofia's experiences.
"The crown weighs heavy."
"I want to be clear, it's not about what they didn't get, about the prizes."
"It's about how they were ill-treated, abused, bullied, and cornered."
She added that her daughter witnessing Noelia's struggles inspired her to take a stand, as well.
"When she saw that they were attacking Noelia's mental health, [UmaSofia] said, 'I cannot stand for this. I need to stand up with Noelia.'"
You can watch the segment below.
Moms of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA speak out after shocking resignationsyoutu.be
People on social media were outraged.
Many were appalled the organization didn't do more to protect the women.
Good Morning America/YouTube
And several called for an end to the organization altogether.
People applauded these women for prioritizing themselves and taking a stand against the organization.
Good Morning America/YouTube
Good Morning America/YouTube
Good Morning America/YouTube
Good Morning America/YouTube
In response to the controversy, the Miss USA organization told ABC News:
"We are committed to fostering a healthy, communicative and supportive environment for all contestants, state titleholders, national titleholders and staff."
But that's not enough for these mothers, who believe Rose should step down, as well.
"Look at what happened to Noelia [and] UmaSofia."
"Really pay attention. We don't want them to go through this."
"Right now, it's not the right time to participate."
As for other women competing, they believe these ladies should "absolutely" stop.
"We just don't want these families and these girls to go through what we're going through."
