Noelia Voigt was the first Miss USA to give up her crown. Here's what to know about the pageant queen.

Noelia Voigt was the first Miss USA to give up her crown. Here's what to know about the pageant queen. Noelia Voigt was the first Miss USA to ever relinquish her crown. Courtesy of Miss USA Noelia Voigt spent seven years working to become Miss USA.She won first runner-up three times at state pageants before making it to the national stage, where she took the crown in 2023.That made it even more shocking when Voigt became the first Miss USA in the pageant's history to relinquish her title, giving up the crown just months before her reign was set to end in 2024.This is her story. Noelia Voigt began watching pageants at an early age, but her mother didn't allow her to compete as a child. Noelia Voigt competed in her first pageant when she was 16. Courtesy of Miss USA Voigt was born and raised in Sarasota, Florida. Her mother, Jackeline Voigt, is from Venezuela, and her father, Jack Voigt, is an American former Major League Baseball player. He played for the Baltimore Orioles, Oakland A's, Texas Rangers, and Milwaukee Brewers during his 14-year career, according to his website.After winning Miss USA in September 2023, Voigt told Business Insider that she grew up watching pageants with her mother."My mom is from Venezuela, and over there, pageants are their Super Bowl and Olympics — it's a huge deal," Voigt said. "So I had always wanted to do pageants from a really young age."Voigt said she began asking to compete in pageants before she was 10, but her mother was "really protective" and made her wait."Depending on the pageant that you're entering at that age, it can be potentially damaging to a young girl if they don't end up winning," Voigt said. "Then they have this negative association with it, and they think that it has something to do with them.""My mom didn't want that for me," she added. "So she waited until I was old enough to understand that, if I didn't win, it's not a reflection of me or who I am." Voigt won her first pageant when she was 16 years old. Voigt volunteering with Smile Train as Miss USA 2023. Courtesy of Miss USA Voigt was named Miss Sarasota Teen USA in 2017. She went on to compete at Miss Florida Teen USA that year and placed first runner-up.Although she found early success in the world of pageants, Voigt said her friends made fun of her newfound passion."I was really hurt and confused as to why people I thought were my friends were making fun of me for doing something that I was really excited about and that I was doing good things with," Voigt told Business Insider. "At first, it really did sting. But it was clear to me that it was an attempt to steal the joy I had from this accomplishment."Voigt made anti-bullying part of her platform and authored a children's book on the topic called "Maddie the BRAVE." Voigt credited pageants with helping her get out of an abusive relationship in high school. Voigt said pageants helped her "realize my worth." Courtesy of Miss USA Voigt told Business Insider that competing in pageants was an eye-opening experience as she navigated an abusive relationship during her teenage years."When you're in pageants, you're surrounded by women who are really uplifting of one another," she said. "They all have a really good sense of self-respect, and they know their worth, and a lot of times if you find yourself in an abusive relationship, that might be something that is lacking.""Once I broke into the pageant world and started to get involved in a lot of community service, I started to realize that anybody that was toxic in my life was simply holding me back," she added. "Pageants absolutely helped me realize my worth." Voigt moved to Alabama for school and continued to compete in pageants. Voigt placed first runner-up twice while competing for the title of Miss Alabama USA. Courtesy of Miss Universe Voigt competed in Miss Alabama 2022 and Miss Alabama 2023, placing first runner-up in both competitions."A lot of people ask me if it hurt that I kept getting first runner-up, and I just told them the honest truth — that I was really proud of myself for getting that placement," Voigt told Business Insider after her win. "I always felt very honored that the judges still felt I could do the job if something happened and I needed to step in.""Every year that I hadn't won the pageant, it gave me another year of opportunity to do good things for my community, so I really wouldn't have traded it for anything," she added. Voigt moved to Salt Lake City in April 2023 and won Miss Utah 2023 three months later. Voigt competing in the swimsuit competition during the Miss USA finals. Courtesy of Miss USA By winning Miss Utah, Voigt had finally accomplished her dream of making it to the Miss USA 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. "But instead, every time I got first runner-up, it was more fuel to the fire for me to keep on going." Voigt was crowned Miss USA on September 29, 2023. Voigt was the first Miss Utah to win Miss USA since 1960. Miss USA Voigt became the first Venezuelan-American to win Miss USA after she was crowned at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. She was also the first Miss Utah to win the title since 1960."This is something I've worked toward for a really long time," Voigt told Business Insider. "It's been a journey of perseverance and not giving up."Voigt went on to compete at Miss Universe 2023 in El Salvador, where she placed in the top 20. On May 6, 2024, Voigt announced she was stepping down as Miss USA. Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava and Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt. Chance Yeh/Getty Images for Supermodels Unlimited Voigt said she was relinquishing the Miss USA crown to focus on her mental health, but a cryptic message was hidden inside her Instagram statement. It read "I AM SILENCED." Two days later, Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava resigned as well.The pageant queens said they couldn't speak publicly about their experience due to strict nondisclosure agreements they had signed under the leadership of Laylah Rose, who became the CEO of Miss USA in August 2023. Jackeline Voigt and Barbara Srivastava, the pageant queens' mothers, told Business Insider their daughters had endured "eight months of torture and abuse" from Rose."The woman who was supposed to be all about empowering and bringing women together and pushing them to speak for their causes and charities, she did quite the opposite," Barbara Srivastava said during the May 2024 interview.In her official Miss USA resignation letter, Voigt detailed the "detrimental mental and emotional toll" of her time as Miss USA and said she had to be prescribed two anti-anxiety medications."I've never ever in my life been on anti-anxiety medication," Voigt told Business Insider during an exclusive August 2025 interview. "It wasn't something that came out of nowhere. I felt like I had to put on a facade to represent the organization because I had this title, but I didn't agree with what was going on."Rose has denied the allegations. In October 2025, Miss Universe sued Laylah Rose. Voigt said she felt "vindicated" by the lawsuit. Voigt said she is still bound by a nondisclosure agreement. Hector Vivas/Getty Images The owner of Miss Universe, which oversees Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, referenced Voigt's official Miss USA resignation letter in its lawsuit against Rose's company, VVV Global Ent. It noted an incident in which Voigt said she was sexually harassed during an official Miss USA appearance when she was left alone with a man in a car. The complaint from JKN Universe said VVV had failed to provide a chaperone or travel companion at times, despite the "contractual obligation to do so."The lawsuit also alleges that Rose failed to prepare Voigt for the Miss Universe 2023 competition, including providing a national costume and the necessary fees to attend the global pageant. Jackeline Voigt told Business Insider in May 2024 that the family had to pay $20,000 out of pocket to help Voigt with the competition.Rose filed a counterclaim against JKN that same month, and the case remains ongoing. Voigt told Business Insider in October 2025 that she hopes the Miss Universe Organization will eventually release her from her NDA."That's the best way for them to rectify the situation, and I hope they're open to it," she said. "It's my life and my story. This shackle on me, it would feel nice to have it lifted."Rose has not responded to requests for comment. Lawyers for the Miss Universe Organization previously declined to comment on the complaint. Voigt has returned to the Miss USA organization since Thom Brodeur replaced Rose in September 2025. Voigt at the 2023 Miss Universe pageant in El Salvador. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Voigt most recently served as a co-host for the Miss Teen USA 2026 pageant in August. She is also currently attending nursing school."It makes me emotional to remember the girl that I was when I first started because I was so shy," Voigt told Business Insider in August 2025 as she reflected on her pageant career."I'm so grateful for my whole journey," she added. "And that we're coming at this full-circle moment and getting to close our chapters with grace." Read next Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Anneta Konstantinides is a lifestyle correspondent at Business Insider and has spent nearly 10 years reporting in the lifestyle space. Her focus is on food and travel, where she's known to take readers inside Michelin-starred kitchens or to the hottest new Las Vegas hotel. Sometimes it's Anneta doing the cooking, leading readers through the best recipes by Gordon Ramsay or Ina Garten. Anneta has also been deeply reporting on the pageant industry since 2019, interviewing dozens of Miss USA and Miss Universe winners. She was a two-time finalist at the LA Press Club Awards for her investigation into the 2022 and 2024 Miss USA scandals and was featured in The New York Times Presents episode "How to Fix a Pageant" on Hulu in September 2023. After graduating from UCLA with a B.A in English Literature and a minor in film & television, Anneta worked as a journalist in London, Sydney, New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. She currently lives in Los Angeles.