Miss USA Noelia Voigt faced 'inappropriate advances' from driver during Florida Christmas parade and felt she 'couldn't escape' but pageant president did not support her, according to claims

The former Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt said that a driver who was bringing her to an event in Florida made 'inappropriate advances' towards her and says that when she spoke about her experience, received no support from the pageant president. 

Voigt, 23, felt as though she 'couldn't escape' the vehicle that was bringing to a Christmas parade adding that that a handler who was assigned her to did nothing to aid her, reports The Independent. 

Voigt resigned her position as Miss USA on May 6. She thanked her fans and wrote in a statement: 'Never compromise your physical and mental well-being.' 

Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, also resigned her title within days of Voigt's resignation in a shock to the Miss Universe Organization, which runs both pageants.

Thanks to a non-disclosure agreement that Voigt has with Miss USA, she has not spoken about the Florida incident, according to the report, but two people who were familiar with it are now speaking out. 

Noelia Voigt attends 'PEOPLE: Celebrating 50 Years' Exhibition Opening at Fotografiska New York on May 09, 2024 in New York City, just three days after she resigned her position 

Miss USA president Laylah Rose is accused of not having enough money to provide proper care for pageant winners 

Claudia Michelle, the former social media director of the pageant, also resigned her role over the claims made by Voigt 

 Earlier this week, Voigt's mother spoke briefly about the incident in an emotional interview with Good Morning America.  

One of those is Voigt's close friend and former social media director of the pageant, Claudia Michelle. She described the driver as 'really inappropriate. 

Michelle recently resigned from Miss USA in support of allegations that crown holders were subjected to disrespect from management. 

'He was saying, how he was older and he had money. That kind of thing,' Michelle told The Independent. She also accused of the driver of insinuating that he would like a relationship with Voigt. 

She literally couldn't escape it. What was she going to do, step out of the car and walk away in the middle of the parade? She was stuck,' Michelle said. 

'The role of the handler in the pageant world is to almost be like a bodyguard in the sense where they're the eyes, ears and voice for Noelia – to kind of speak up.'

'It would have been in that handler's best interest to speak up and say something, you know, 'that's not appropriate, that's not okay,' right then and there, and squash it out.' 

Voigt, a former Miss Utah, was crowned in September 2023. She was the first Venezuelan American to win the title. 

Miss USA Noelia Voigt (right) and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava (left) both resigned last week 

'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,' UmaSofia's statement (pictured) read

 The title was a 'childhood dream' and stepping down was a 'very tough decision,' the former Miss Utah and University of Alabama student said in an Instagram post. 

In its own statement, the Miss USA Organization thanked Voigt for her service and wished her 'the best in this next chapter.'

The other person with direct knowledge of the interaction said that it was 'basically dismissed' as if it 'wasn't a big deal' by the pageant's leadership. 

Michelle said that the Florida incident wasn't the first time that Voigt or her family raised an issue about safety and support. 

'Noelia should have been traveling with a bodyguard, with a handler, at all times. There was not enough staff to help her do what she needed to do for the first four months of her reign.'

She accused Miss USA president Laylah Rose of not having the money to run the company, saying that Voigt was reduced to living at her boyfriend's college apartment close to campus in Alabama or at her family home in Florida. 

'I've seen state pageants run better than the way Miss USA was being handled and run under the current direction.' 

In stepping down, Michelle too railed against the organization.  

'This is a women's empowerment organization and my hope in making this statement is to restore some of the empowerment back to these titleholders that was so deeply lost in their year,' wrote the former staffer.

Miss USA Organization social media manager Claudia Michelle (center) also resigned, and insiders alleged that the trio decided to quit together and strategically time their statements 

The sudden resignation of Miss Teen USA UmaSofia (pictured) has prompted calls from former contestants to release former Utah representative Noelia of her NDA

 She claimed she was left to manage Voigt's social media almost entirely alone, and during her time working with the 24-year-old she 'unfortunately (saw) a decline in her mental health.'

She added that Voigt's 'ability to share her story and her platform have been diminished', and said she witnessed 'disrespect' directed at Srivastava.

'I believe their voices and their stories should be heard and not silenced,' she wrote. 'I disavow workplace toxicity and bullying of any kind.'

Srivastava, the former Miss New Jersey Teen USA, wrote in a statement that her personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.' 

Savannah Gankiewicz of Hawaii was crowned Miss USA 2023 on Wednesday.  

Gankiewicz, a model who leads a female empowerment nonprofit, will hold the title until August — the remainder of the pageant's term, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

'I am ready to make a positive impact with this organization that I hold dear to my heart,' said Gankiewicz, of Maui, during a ceremony at the Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach.

On Monday, the moms of former Miss USA and miss Teen USA say their daughters were systemically abused and bullied by the organization. 

'It's about how they were ill-treated: abused, bullied and cornered,' said Barbara Srivastava

Jackeline Voigt said her daughter has been silenced, and will be for the 'rest of her life,' if the NDA she is under remains in place. 

'The girls need to speak,' Jackeline aid, adding that her daughter received unwanted sexual advances at a Christmas parade.

Jaqueline said she saw her daughter 'so stressed out' after a man at the event asked her if she was 'into old men with money.'

'This is not what she worked so hard for,' Jacqueline said. 

The mothers said the Miss Universe organization needs to apologize and 'clean up this mess.' 

The moms encouraged parents to think hard about whether they want their daughters to be part of the Miss Universe and Miss USA organizations.

'It's not the right time,' said Jaqueline. 

An insider told The New York Post that Voigt's mental health sharply declined while serving as Miss USA, saying she suffered from 'micromanaging to the 10th degree and harassing.'

'Noelia wakes up every day on pins and needles because of harassing emails [from pageant organizers]: 'Don't do this,' 'Don't do that,' 'Take that post down,' Unlike that post.'

They added that she would be told to 'remember your NDA' constantly, and Miss USA Organization president Laylah Rose would allegedly post to social media under Voigt and Srivastava's handles on a whim.