- Former Miss USA Noelia Voigt met Bella Hadid at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday.
- Hadid told Voigt she was "inspired" by her resignation as Miss USA, the former queen said on Instagram.
Former Miss USA Noelia Voigt added Bella Hadid to her list of supporters on Thursday.
Voigt was crowned Miss USA in September 2023, but she resigned on May 6, citing her mental health.
Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava stepped down two days later, saying her personal values "no longer fully align with the direction of the organization."
Following their resignations, Voigt and Srivastava's mothers told Business Insider their daughters underwent "emotional abuse, gaslighting, and a hostile environment" during their reigns and couldn't discuss their experiences because they signed NDAs.
Representatives for Miss USA and Laylah Rose, the organization's president and CEO, didn't respond to a previous request for comment from BI on the mothers' statements. However, the organization told ABC News, "We are committed to fostering a healthy, communicative, and supportive environment for all contestants, state titleholders, national titleholders, and staff."
Savannah Gankiewicz officially became Miss USA on May 16, while Voigt has been offering peeks at her post-pageant life on Instagram.
Noelia Voigt crossed paths with Bella Hadid in Cannes
Voigt shared on her page that she arrived in France on Sunday for the Cannes Film Festival.
On Thursday, she attended her first red carpet at the festival and met Bella Hadid.
Voigt posted a photo of herself with Hadid on Instagram, writing in the caption that she "about passed out" because Hadid recognized her.
"I about passed out when she recognized me and told me she heard about the news of my resignation and that it inspired her since she recently stepped away from the modeling world," Voigt captioned her post.
Hadid stepped back from modeling in 2023 while she was undergoing treatment for Lyme disease, and she made her return to the red carpet at Cannes.
"We had a moment talking about the importance of stepping away from things and people that drain you or are no longer good for you, for the sake of getting your mental health back to the happy state it was always in before," Voigt went on to say of her interaction with Hadid.
"She is the kindest person and I'm so grateful we were able to share this moment together," Voigt added.
Voigt's mother said her daughter was bullied during her time as Miss USA
Speaking to Business Insider, Voigt's mother, Jackeline, said Rose bullied her daughter when she was queen.
"Noelia was shaking just to see a text or a call or an email from Laylah," she said. "Because it was so abusive, so aggressive, the communication."
Jackeline Voigt also said the Miss USA organization didn't offer her daughter any support at the Miss Universe pageant in November 2023 and that her experiences negatively impacted Voigt's physical and mental health.
"Noelia lost so much weight. She couldn't eat. She would shake constantly," the mother said. "Her doctor was very concerned. She was trying to push through, but we are so proud of her for saying, 'Enough is enough.'"
Miss USA's social-media director, Claudia Michelle, resigned a few days ahead of Voigt and Srivastava, writing on Instagram that the titleholders' "mental health and happiness has taken a toll and I cannot remain silent about that." Miss Colorado Arianna Lemus also resigned in support of Voigt on May 10.
Although Gankiewicz became queen after Voigt resigned, Miss Teen USA has yet to announce a replacement for Srivastava, as Miss Teen New Jersey Stephanie Skinner, the first runner-up in the 2023 pageant, declined to take over the title.