Current:Home > NewsMoms of Former Miss USA and Miss Teen USA Detail Daughters' "Nightmare" Experiences -PureWealth Academy
Moms of Former Miss USA and Miss Teen USA Detail Daughters' "Nightmare" Experiences
View
Date:2025-04-14 08:47:35
The moms of former Miss USA and Miss Teen USA are speaking up for their daughters.
A week after Noelia Voigt and UmaSofia Srivastava rocked the pageant world by sharing their decisions to step down from their respective roles their moms Jackeline Voigt and Barbara Srivastava shared more insight into their daughters' experiences with the pageant organization.
"I want to make it clear, it's not about what they can get, the prizes," Barbara said on Good Morning America May 14 in a joint interview with Jackeline. "It's about how they were ill-treated, abused, bullied and cornered."
"The job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare," she continued. "We could not continue this charade."
The pair said that Noelia—who cited mental health for her decision—and UmaSofia, who expressed that her personal values no longer aligned with the organization, are bound by confidentiality clauses that prevented them from speaking out.
Jackeline recalled to GMA the first time she knew something was wrong when Noelia, who was crowned Miss USA in September, was approached by a man at a Christmas parade in Florida, an encounter that she ultimately reported to the organization.
"I saw Noelia so stressed out, and I said, 'What happened?'" Jackeline recalled. "She said, 'Mom, get in the car.' When I got in the car, I said, ‘What happened?' because I know he said something but I couldn't get it."
"He told Noelia, 'Are you into old men with money?'" she continued. "And made Noelia very, very uncomfortable." Jackeline alleged that when the 24-year-old told the organization, Miss USA CEO and President Laylah Rose responded to Noelia by noting the organization couldn't prevent people from saying things to her during public appearances.
After Noelia resigned, Barbara said UmaSofia, who also won her title in September, was ready to follow suit.
"When she saw that they were tying in Noelia's mental health," Barbara recounted of Noelia's resignation, UmaSofia said, "'I cannot stand for this. I need to stand up for Noelia.'"
Jackeline and Barbara are calling for Laylah to step down from her role and are urging pageant participants to reconsider their decision to compete.
"Look at what happened to Noelia and UmaSofia," Jackeline shared. "So, really pay attention. We don't want them to go through this right now. It's not the right time to participate."
She added, "We just don't want these families and these girls to go through what we went through."
In a statement to ABC News, The Miss USA Organization shared, "We are committed to fostering a healthy, communicative and supportive environment for all contestants, state titleholders, national titleholders and staff."
She concluded her letter by writing that she feels it is unsafe for future Miss Universe Organization title holders, adding, "Every statement you have ever put out about MUO's morals and integrity directly contradicts what is happening within the USA organization."
While Noelia expressed her gratitude for her time as Miss USA in her statement on social media, her resignation to the organization, obtained by NBC News May 9, offered a much more candid reflection of her experience.
The eight-page letter, per the outlet, described "a toxic work environment within the Miss USA Organization that, at best, is poor management and, at worst, is bullying and harassment."
Noelia further accused Laylah of speaking badly of her to others in the organization.
She concluded her letter by writing that she feels it is unsafe for future Miss Universe Organization title holders, adding, "Every statement you have ever put out about MUO's morals and integrity directly contradicts what is happening within the USA organization."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (692)
Related
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Connecticut’s top public defender fired for misconduct alleged by oversight commission
- Lionel Messi debuts new drink Mas+: How to get Messi's new drink online and in stores
- Washington warns of danger from China in remembering the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Men's College World Series championship odds: Tennessee remains the favorite
- Shania Twain makes herself laugh with onstage mixup: 'Really glad somebody captured this'
- Father of Alaska woman killed in murder-for-hire plot dies during memorial ride marking her death
- Breaking debut in Olympics raises question: Are breakers artists or athletes?
- Men's College World Series championship odds: Tennessee remains the favorite
Ranking
- Louisiana high court temporarily removes Judge Eboni Johnson Rose from Baton Rouge bench amid probe
- New York considers regulating what children see in social media feeds
- Company linked to 4,000 rescued beagles forced to pay $35M in fines
- Bison gores 83-year-old woman in Yellowstone National Park
- 'Meet me at the gate': Watch as widow scatters husband's ashes, BASE jumps into canyon
- Psychedelic drug MDMA faces FDA panel in bid to become first-of-a-kind PTSD medication
- Animal control officers in Michigan struggle to capture elusive peacock
- The-Dream, hitmaker for Beyoncé, accused of rape in bombshell lawsuit: 'A prolonged nightmare'
Recommendation
Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
Former prosecutor settles lawsuit against Netflix over Central Park Five series
Big GOP funders sending millions into Missouri’s attorney general primary
Evangeline Lilly Reveals She Is “Stepping Away” From Acting For This Reason
What polling shows about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ new running mate
Asylum-seekers looking for shelter set up encampment in Seattle suburb
Goldfish unveils new Spicy Dill Pickle flavor: Here's when and where you can get it
In new Hulu show 'Clipped,' Donald Sterling's L.A. Clippers scandal gets a 2024 lens: Review