Miss USA Savannah Gankiewicz is opening up about the scandal that rocked the beauty pageant world.
In May, Miss USA Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava, who were both crowned in August 2023, shocked fans when they resigned from their roles just two days apart from each other. Gankiewicz, who was Miss Hawaii 2023 and the first runner-up to Miss USA, accepted the title less than two weeks later during a ceremony in Waikiki, Hawaii, where she was crowned by Hawaii Gov. Dr. Josh Green.
After just three months as Miss USA, Gankiewicz will be crowning her successor at the upcoming Miss USA pageant on Aug. 4 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. During an interview with Fox News Digital ahead of the pageant, Gankiewicz recalled how she reacted upon hearing that Voigt had stepped down.
“I was in Bali when I got the call because I lived there part-time as well, and I was just so shocked. I didn’t know how to go about the situation really,” Gankiewicz, 28, said.
SAVANNAH GANKIEWICZ OF HAWAII CROWNED MISS USA AFTER PREVIOUS WINNER RESIGNED, CITING MENTAL HEALTH
The circumstances around the resignations of Voigt and Srivastava have sparked widespread speculation. Voigt announced her resignation on Instagram on May 6, citing her “mental health,” in a lengthy statement.
Meanwhile, Srivastava was initially more direct when addressing the reasons behind her decision to give up her crown. In a statement she shared on Instagram, Srivastava wrote, “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.”
However, Voigt expanded on the reasons behind her resignation in a letter obtained by ABC News and other outlets, in which she accused the organization of fostering a toxic work culture and criticized President and CEO of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA organizations Laylah Rose.
Voigt wrote, “There is a toxic work environment within the Miss USA organization that, at best, is poor management and, at worst, is bullying and harassment. This started soon after winning the title of Miss USA 2023.”
She said that Rose “was generally inaccessible for communication” and when there was communication, she claimed that the president was “often cold and unnecessarily aggressive.”
Voigt also said that she was “made to feel unsafe” while representing the organization at events, which she said “culminated in being sexually harassed at the 2023 Sarasota Christmas Parade.”
WATCH: MISS USA SAVANNAH GANKIEWICZ WAS ‘SHOCKED’ AFTER LEARNING PREDECESSOR NOELIA VOIGT RESIGNED FROM ROLE
“At future events, the organization neglected its responsibility to provide a chaperone and/or traveling companion entirely, and I was alone,” she alleged.
In her letter, Voigt accused Rose of “actively building a culture of fear and control, the antithesis of women’s empowerment, that is causing a toxic workplace that is unsafe for future titleholders and employees.”
Rose later issued a statement in response to Voigt’s resignation letter, in which she strongly refuted the beauty queen’s claims.
“We are very disappointed to hear the recent false allegations made by individuals speaking on behalf of our former titleholder,” the statement read.
It continued, “The allegations of sexual harassment, toxic environment and bullying are not true. To be clear, such behavior is not accepted, and we can assure you that if such behavior ever occurred, we would take immediate steps to protect our titleholder and provide access to appropriate resources.”
“The suggestions of a lack of communication and support for the prior titleholder are likewise false; we provided constant communication about events and procedures and provided access to all of the services needed, much of which went ignored or unused by our titleholder,” the statement added.
“We also arranged many events (always with a chaperone) to which she was invited to showcase her achievements and highlight her ‘passion’ projects, many of which our titleholder canceled at the last minute and without good reason.”
“We are absolutely committed to upholding the values and spirit of the Miss USA brand every day. Miss USA wears a crown, and it symbolizes achievement. It comes with a commitment to work very hard and to acknowledge the pressures of the job. Change is inevitable for growth, for success, and most definitely for development. The Miss USA National Pageant will continue to embrace the future for the benefit of all women.”
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Gankiewicz explained that she initially had mixed feelings about assuming the title of Miss USA.
“There are two sides to every story,” she said. “One side was telling me not to take it. The other side was like, ‘Go for it. As first runner-up, this is your duty.’ And they say that on the national stage — if the winner cannot fulfill her duties, the first runner-up takes the opportunity.”
WATCH: MISS USA SAYS PREVIOUS WINNER WARNED HER AGAINST TAKING TITLE: ‘YOU’LL SIGN YOUR SOUL TO THE DEVIL’
She continued, “So I just remember saying, ‘This is exactly like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’ I have to take it and really have to see for myself what’s going on with the Miss USA organization and just see for myself if there were any of those allegations that were true.”
“And now that I’ve been Miss USA for almost three months, I can now say that that was all false,” Gankiewicz added. “The organization is amazing. Laylah Rose, the president, has been nothing but kind to me, and I’ve just enjoyed every single second.”
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Gankiewicz told Fox News Digital that she had limited interaction with Voigt prior to her resignation.
“I remember, sadly, at Miss USA, we only said a few words to each other,” Gankiewicz recalled. “She kind of was in her own zone, which I totally get. It’s a competition. But I remember seeing that she resigned, and I wanted to be kind and say, ‘Hey, like, I’m here for you. Please let me know if you need someone to talk to.’ Because what she was accusing was serious allegations.”
However, Gankiewicz said that while she was in Bali, she received a call from Voigt, who allegedly attempted to dissuade her from taking the Miss USA title.
“She was basically saying, ‘Don’t. I can’t tell you what to do, but don’t do it because you’ll sign your soul to the devil,'” Gankiewicz said.
“And I’m over here, ‘Like what? Sign your soul to the devil. Was it that bad?’ And she’s like, ‘I can’t tell you. I have an NDA. I basically signed my rights away for life. And I’m like, ‘Really? So I was hearing that.”
Gakiewicz said that after she eventually accepted the title of Miss USA 2023, Voigt unfollowed and blocked her on social media. She told Fox News Digital that she was also messaged by Srivastava, who she said allegedly wrote, “‘Don’t take it, but we can’t tell you what to do.'”
“And then she ended up unfollowing me as well,” Gankiewicz said. “And I’m like, ‘What did I do?’ It’s just, you know, it’s a pageant, it’s a job. And I’m just fulfilling a job role that she couldn’t.”
Reflecting on the warnings that she received from Voigt, Gankiewicz explained that she believed they were part of a pressure campaign backed by her predecessor’s fans that aimed to discourage any replacement for the Miss USA title.
“When I really think about it, I honestly feel like there was that whole team behind her that just didn’t want anyone to take the title,” Gankiewicz said. “I even was getting messages [like] ‘Don’t take the title’ from these pageant bloggers who were obviously Team Noelia.”
She continued, “But then I was also being told that these people who are telling me not to take it — were telling the second runner-up [Alexis Loomins], ‘Oh, Savannah’s not going to take it. You should take it. You should take it.'”
“It feels like a lot of people wanted to ban the Miss USA organization when really it has been nothing but great,” she added. “I want to keep continuing on the legacy. It’s really, truly made me the woman I am today. And it’s just so crazy to me that one person could have this experience and make up all these crazy lies.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Voigt and Srivastava for comment.
Gankiewicz told Fox News Digital that she was subjected to hate, bullying and death threats after she decided to take the title from “people who only knew one side of the story.”
“The pageant fans are no joke,” she explained. “They either love you or hate you, right? There’s nothing in the middle.”
“People were coming for my character, my dignity,” she added. [They were saying] ‘I’m not a girl’s girl. I’m not standing for Noelia.'”
Amid the controversy, Gankiewicz pointed out that new delegates were in the process of being selected to represent the 50 states and Washington, D.C., at the 2024 Miss USA pageant. In March, the first state pageant was held in Tennessee, and the last took place in Florida in July.
“I felt bad for the girls who were competing for their dream job of Miss USA, and then they were hearing all this harassment that people were saying about the organization, about me,” Gankiewicz said. “And I truly just ignored it. And I knew deep down there was more to the story. There has to be.”
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“So I ended up taking it and being there for the delegates and telling them, ‘Hey, just because…the former titleholder said she had this experience doesn’t mean it’s fully correct.”
“And at the same time, I completely stand with people and especially the former titleholder who deals with mental illness and I support 100% someone that goes through that,” Gankiewicz said. “And so I’m here now and I feel like this job — you have to have tough skin. And, at the end of the day, it is a job. And I think people forget that. These pageant fans, they forget that it’s a job. And that’s all I’m trying to fulfill.”
Gankiewicz explained that she does believe the pressures involved with competing in pageants, as well as going on to win titles and represent the organizations, can take a toll on women’s mental health.
“I think it’s just finding the balance and taking care of yourselves in order for you to do the job properly,” she said.
WATCH: MISS USA SAYS SHE RECEIVED ‘HATE,’ ‘BULLYING’ AND ‘DEATH THREATS’ WHEN SHE TOOK TITLE AFTER HER PREDECESSOR RESIGNED
During her interview with Fox News Digital, Gankiewicz reflected on what she has found to be the most rewarding and most challenging aspects of being Miss USA, explaining that her priority was to welcome the class of 2024 and making the competition a positive experience for the new delegates.
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“My whole mission was taking this title and being there for the new girls coming in because they all are coming in wanting to be Miss USA. And I feel like it’s unfair that if I didn’t take it,” she said. “They deserve a Miss USA to crown them. So that’s what really brightens my day is to know, ‘Hey, I get to be there for the delegates.’ I also get to represent Hawaii again and share the aloha spirit across the nation. And that’s all I’ve been doing is smiling at people, showing people like, ‘Hey, this is what people from Hawaii are like.’”
“Definitely, the downfalls for me were just the hate I was getting. It is unbelievable the hatred and that people don’t know the full story,” Gankiewicz continued. “That honestly broke my heart because I just tried to be a lending hand. That was my whole platform. And instead I was getting death threats, and just, it was awful.”
Gankiewicz also addressed what she believes is the biggest misconception about the Miss USA organization.
“It would have to be from what the former title holder was saying [that] there was bullying and harassment from the owner, which is completely false,” she said. “Miss USA, it’s an organization that uplifts and empowers women and gives you the necessary tools to achieve greatness in this life. And that’s exactly what this organization has given me. So it is sad when I see other people bash an organization where all it is trying to do is empower people and make women feel beautiful from within.”
WATCH: MISS USA SAVANNAH GANKIEWICZ SHARES HER EXCITEMENT OVER THE UPCOMING PAGEANT
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While speaking with Fox News Digital, Gankiewicz shared her excitement over the upcoming Miss USA pageant and said she was looking forward to crowning her successor, who will go on to represent the United States at Miss Universe 2024 in Mexico.
“I’m just so excited to meet the next Miss USA 2024,” she said. “But not only that, spending time with the delegates. I think going into Miss USA last year for me was about making friends and being present and also just having fun. I think I’m just going to be there to remind the girls have fun, even though it is a competition. They just have to be present and enjoy every single second because it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
The Miss USA pageant will be broadcast live on The CW from 8 to 10 p.m. ET.
