What's Happening At Miss USA? Titleholder Noelia Voigt Writes Hidden Message On Instagram Post, According To Internet Sleuths

2023 Miss USA winner Noelia Voigt voluntarily resigned on Monday, becoming the first title holder in the pageant's 72-year history to quit. Just days after Voigt stepped down, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava followed suit. Is the Miss Universe world finally in shambles?

Naturally, these surprising departures have fueled speculations about the Miss Universe Organization and what goes on behind the scenes. Most women would happily keep their crowns, but given that two winners relinquished theirs around the same time, there's probably more to this story than we're being told.

Why Did Noelia Voigt Resign?

Earlier this week, Voigt took to Instagram to share her reasons for quitting. In a lengthy statement, the titleholder revealed that she dropped out to prioritize her mental health. "In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health," her statement read. "As individuals, we grow through experiencing different things in life that lead us to learning more about ourselves. 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."

Similarly, Srivastava shared an official statement on her social media page, writing, "I will always look back on my time as Miss NJ Teen USA fondly, and the experience of representing my state as a first generation, Mexican-Indian American at the national level was fulfilling in itself."

She continued, "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."

Noelia Voigt’s “Hidden Message”

Social media sleuths believe Voigt intentionally left a hidden message in her Instagram statement. If you look at the capitalized letters at the beginning of each sentence and piece them together, one eerie phrase sticks out: "I am silenced."

The last three capital letters spell out "HIP," but what it stands for is unclear.

Just a month ago, Voigt revealed to her Instagram followers that she no longer had access to the official Miss USA social media accounts. "I no longer have access to the official Miss USA social media accounts and haven't for a little over a week now," she wrote on her IG Stories. "With that being said, know that any feed or story posts and comments from that account are not personally coming from me."

The question is, if Voigt left the hidden message behind on purpose, who is trying to silence her and why? An artist and influencer named Lete on TikTok raises these same concerns to her audience." When someone takes your voice away, they take your power away, and the whole point of the Miss USA platform is to elevate women to use their voice [and] to make a difference," she says in a viral video about Voigt. "So not having access to the social media account doesn't really make sense with the brand. It feels like instead of it being truly Noelia's year, they're making her a puppet for whatever they want to promote for the brand. I know there's probably some NDAs so she can't talk about what's really going on, but there's definitely some sketchy business going on behind the scenes, especially if someone isn't gonna step down from their dream job."

If you look at the Instagram page for Miss USA, it's true that Voigt's image was used to sell certain products, including Miss USA x NYFW's eyeshadow palette. She was often featured in videos and photos promoting events and businesses.

Organization’s CEO Allegedly Bullied Voigt

Could the organization's mistreatment toward its titleholders be another reason why the two winners resigned? According to The New York Post, insiders said the CEO reportedly bullied Voigt. Additionally, sources informed the outlet that Voigt and Srivastava had been working in "harmful workplace conditions" for months. “This toxic atmosphere is a serious concern,” the insider told The Post. “There is an urgent need for intervention at the leadership level.” 

The source claims, “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.’ ‘You can’t speak to anybody, remember your NDA you can’t go here unless we confirm.' It’s micromanaged to the 10th degree and harassing.”

It does seem like these resignations are a form of protest. On May 3, Miss USA social media manager Claudia Michelle also announced her departure from her position. She noted seeing a decline in Noelia's mental health since they first met and witnessed the disrespect toward Srivastava and her family. Michelle also told The Post that “Noelia’s contract — as in her salary — was used against her. They would threaten her by saying ‘If you don’t do XYZ … ‘ In this case, following social media guidelines from the Miss Universe Organization that, as a social media director, I still had yet to see.”

Michelle mentions that she isn't burdened by contracts or NDAs and thus is in a position to speak out about what she saw. "I've first hand seen Nelia and Uma be unable to share about their personal advocacies on social media and be threated by MUO 'social media rules and guidelines' that I still have yet to see," she wrote in her statement. "I feel the way current management speaks about their titleholders is unprofessional and inappropriate; I disavow workplace toxicity and bullying of any kind."

Michelle says she's concerned for the brand's success, its hardworking directors, and "most importantly for Noelia and Uma."

"I don't believe in taking sides. I believe in telling the truth," she added. "I believe Noelia and Uma's mental health and happiness has taken a toll and I cannot remain silent about that. I will always stand for and support the brand that uplifts and empowers its Women. The brand IS the titleholders. Without them, there is no Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. I believe their voices and their stories should be heard and not silenced."

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