Miss USA 2024 crown goes to Miss Michigan Alma Cooper amid the organisation's controversy
Miss USA 2024 crowned after sudden resignation of the previous titleholders from the Miss USA organsiation.
Miss USA 2024 was crowned on Sunday, August 4 at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. The runner-up title in the competition went to Miss Kentucky Connor Perry and the second runner-up went to Miss Oklahoma Danika Christopherson. The lead title went to Miss Michigan Alma Cooper amid the controversy and resignation of former title holders from the organisation.
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Miss USA 2024 crowned amid controversy
The result of the prominent beauty pageant came amid the controversial exit of former title holders. Earlier this year, Miss USA 2023, Noelia Voigt and former Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava resigned from their titles. In an announcement of the same, Voigt reasoned her resignation with mental health while Srivastava wrote her, “values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization," as reported by ABC News.
In her resignation letter, Voigt mentioned the “toxic work environment within the Miss USA organization that, at best, is poor management and, at worst, is bullying and harassment." She added, “I was made to feel unsafe at events without an effective handler and this culminated in being sexually harassed.”
Voigt also wrote in her appointment that the president and CEO of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA organizations, Laylah Rose “was generally inaccessible for communication," and did not provide her with the required support and even allegedly “slandered” her.
Miss USA 2023 runner-up, Miss Hawaii Savannah Gankiewicz was named as the new Miss USA 2023 titleholder while the spot for Miss Teen USA 2023.
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Laylah Rose’s open letter to Voigt
Rose responded to the allegations put forward by Voigt with an open letter on May 30. She wrote in a segment of the letter, “We are very disappointed to hear the recent false allegations made by individuals 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 another segment of her open letter, Rose reassured the public that the Miss USA organisation is evolving as she cited examples. She wrote, “On behalf of the Miss USA organization, I am also collaborating closely with the National Association for Mental Illness (NAMI) to provide all of our contestants with access to local resources for counselling and various forms of support.”