The Miss USA organization has named a new titleholder: Miss Hawaii, Savannah Gankiewicz.
In a statement posted to Instagram on Thursday, Laylah Rose, the CEO and president of the pageant organization, said Gankiewicz would take the crown following the shocking resignation of original titleholder Noelia Voigt earlier this week.
Gankiewicz, 28, was initially named runner-up at the Miss USA pageant last October.
In the Instagram post, Rose described Gankiewicz as “a true representation of vision, intelligence and compassion.”
“Her dedication to empowering women through self-love and confidence is inspiring, and we look forward to her impactful reign as Miss USA,” Rose wrote.
The announcement comes just several days after Voigt gave up her Miss USA crown after only 7 months to prioritize her mental health.
The 24-year-old Utah native shared her shocking decision on Instagram on Monday, posting a lengthy statement in which she called her time with the Miss USA organization “incredibly meaningful.”
Her resignation marks the first time in the pageant’s 72-year history that a titleholder voluntarily relinquished the crown.
“I fully support and respect Noelia’s decision to step down, and I stand in solidarity with mental health awareness,” Gankiewicz said in a statement, which was shared by the organization on Instagram.
“I accept the crown knowing that I have been uplifted by my supporters, family, friends, and the people of Hawaii throughout this journey. I accept this title on their behalf.”
In a separate statement posted to her own Instagram account, Gankiewicz, a model, entrepreneur and the program director of the nonprofit What Makes You Feel Beautiful, said that her decision to accept the title was not “made lightly.”
“Noelia, it was the honor of a lifetime to share the stage with you during your crowning moment and I wish you all the best in your next chapter,” she said in the statement, writing that she vowed to use her “little time” as Miss USA to help rebuild Lahaina on her home island of Maui.
She added: “Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement and kindness as I embark on this new journey. Your uplifting comments and messages have ensured me that accepting the title is the right thing to do and I am so thrilled to be your new Miss USA.”
In the wake of the title shakeup — and the recent resignation of 17-year-old Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava — sources close to the situation alleged that the glitz and glamour of the pageant veiled something more sinister.
Sources allege that “bullying” by management could have been the cause of both of the beauty queens giving up their crowns.
“This toxic atmosphere is a serious concern,” an anonymous insider previously told The Post.
Follow The Post’s coverage on Miss USA latest controversies
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- After Miss Teen USA stepped down, the runner-up says she doesn’t want the crown either
- Miss USA, Miss Teen USA quit after being ‘bullied’ by organization’s CEO: sources
- Miss Hawaii crowned Miss USA after Noelia Voigt’s shocking resignation ‘over bullying allegations’: ‘Honor of a lifetime’
“There is an urgent need for intervention at the leadership level.”
Concerned fans on Instagram flagged that the first letter in each sentence of Voigt’s resignation spelled out a message: “I AM SILENCED.” Sources say this was on purpose.
The Miss USA organization has been embroiled in controversy over the years, most notably receiving backlash in 2022 after contestants alleged the competition was rigged. In 2023, Max Sebrechts, the husband of ousted Miss USA president Crystle Stewart, was accused of sending “unwanted” sexual messages to pageant participants.
Former Miss New York Thatiana Diaz, 31, told The Post that the reckoning of the organization has been “a long time coming.”
“You have all these different personalities and so many ways in which you’re being pushed and pulled and being told what to do,” Diaz said. “That really does affect your mental health.”
She added: “There are human beings under these crowns.”
In her statement online, Gankiewicz, who will be crowned on May 15 in her home state of Hawaii, called for her fellow pageant sisters to “stand united for the future of the organization” and incoming classes.
“I pledge my wholehearted support to the new delegates who have dedicated themselves to their state pageants, and I am committed to ensuring a seamless and memorable transition between Miss USA titleholders,” she said.
