Miss USA Noelia Voigt has resigned to focus on her mental health

• Noelia Voigt announced she was stepping down as Miss USA on Monday.
• "Never compromise your physical and mental well-being," she wrote in a statement.

Noelia Voigt is no longer Miss USA.

Voigt announced on Monday that she was resigning from the role, writing in a statement on Instagram that she strongly values "the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health."

"I realize this may come as a large shock to many. Never compromise your physical and mental well-being," she wrote in the caption of her post. "Our health is our wealth. A million thank you's to all of you for your constant and unwavering support. Time to write the next chapter. I hope you'll stick around to see what's next."

Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA on September 29 and made it to the top 20 at Miss Universe, said her journey as Miss USA "has been incredibly meaningful."

"Never could I have imagined the journey that my childhood dream would take me on," she wrote in her statement. "Constant and consistent hard work and dedication all lead me to where I am today, and I hope that over the last seven years of competing in pageantry and sharing my journey with you all is something that inspires you to never give up on your dreams, whatever they may be."

Voigt also thanked her fans, family, friends, coaches, and current Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava for their support.

"Deep down I know this is just the beginning of a new chapter for me, and my hope is that I continue to inspire others to remain steadfast, prioritize your mental health, advocate for yourself and others by using your voice, and never be afraid of what the future holds, even if it feels uncertain," she added.

In a statement sent to Business Insider, a spokesperson for the Miss USA organization said it respects and supports Voigt's decision to step down.

"The well-being of our titleholders is a top priority, and we understand her need to prioritize herself at this time," the statement read. "The organization is currently reviewing plans for the transition of responsibilities to a successor and an announcement regarding the crowning of the new Miss USA will be coming soon."

Voigt's resignation comes just days after Claudia Michelle resigned as the social-media director for the Miss USA organization, writing in an Instagram statement that "being offered your dream job and seeing that it was anything but is so disheartening."

Michelle said she had seen a "decline" in Voigt's mental health since they first met and wanted to speak out in support of the pageant queen.

"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," Michelle wrote. "Having not signed any contracts or NDA's, I feel as if I am in the position to speak on what I have witnessed. I feel the way current management speaks about their titleholders is unprofessional and inappropriate."

"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."

Michelle resigned less than a month after Voigt announced on social media that she no longer had access to the official Miss USA social-media accounts.

"With that being said, know any feed or story posts are comments coming from that account are not personally coming from me," she wrote in an Instagram story on April 12.

The Miss USA organization then shared a statement in an Instagram story announcing that its social-media pages would be run by the brand rather than the titleholders "to ensure consistent content."

Voigt was the first Venezuelan-American woman to win Miss USA and the first Miss Utah to win the title since 1960. She had won first runner-up three times before reaching the national pageant stage.

"It could have been very easy for me, all those times getting first runner-up, to just say, 'I can't do this anymore, I'm so frustrated,'" Voigt told Business Insider at the time. "But instead, every time I got first runner-up, it was more fuel to the fire for me to keep on going."

Miss USA hasn't been able to shake off scandal over the past few years.

The organization made headlines after Miss USA 2022 contestants claimed the pageant had been rigged in favor of R'Bonney Gabriel, who went on to win Miss Universe.

Contestants also told BI at the time that they received no mental health support during the competition, which had taken place just months after Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst died by suicide.

Following the controversy, it was also uncovered that Max Sebrechts had quietly stepped down as vice president following allegations he sexually harassed contestants during the Miss USA 2021 pageant. Sebrechts denied the allegations in a statement sent to BI at the time. His wife, Crystle Stewart, stepped down as president of Miss USA in August 2023 and was replaced by Laylah Rose.

Voigt, Michelle, and representatives for the Miss Universe organization did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.