Miss USA Savannah Gankiewicz Claims She’s Received Death Threats

Bruce Haring

26 May 2024 at 2:46 pm·2-min read

The woman who replaced a former Miss USA who resigned her post claims she’s been subjected to public abuse.

The current Miss USA, Savannah Gankiewicz, said she has received death threats and hateful messages in the wake of predecessor Noelia Voigt’s resignation.

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Gankiewicz said in a speech that the backlash she’s received “breaks my heart.”

“Since I’ve gotten this title, I’ve dealt with a lot of bullying and harassment, and it really does, it breaks my heart,” Gankiewicz said in a video shared last week on X.

“Sorry. I didn’t want to cry, but I just feel like it’s hard, because I wish people saw where my heart is coming from,” she said. “And it’s helping Lahaina and helping Maui residents and having a platform, but also showing young women that you can get bullied and you can hurt but you stand back up and you keep going and you keep using your voice.”

Gankiewicz received a special Miss USA coronation and celebration in Waikiki earlier this month, replacing Noelia Voigt after she announced her resignation on May 6.

Voigt said in an Instagram statement that she was stepping down from the title to focus on her mental health. However, a copy of Voigt’s resignation letter was obtained by NBC News in which she accused the pageant’s CEO of creating a toxic work environment and failing to address a sexual harassment incident she raised.

“There is a toxic work environment within the Miss USA organization that, at best, is poor management and, at worst, is bullying and harassment,” Voigt wrote. “This started soon after winning the title of Miss USA 2023.”

Voigt said Miss USA CEO and President Laylah Rose failed to communicate, was bad-mouthing her to others in the organization, and threatened to take away Voigt’s salary “for things that were never discussed with me.”

Rose released a statement saying, in part, that she takes allegations seriously and that “the well-being of all individuals associated with Miss USA is my top priority.”

Following Voigt’s resignation, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava and Miss USA’s social media manager, Claudia Michelle, resigned.

Gankiewicz will hold the title until August, when a new Miss USA is crowned.

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