New Miss USA crowned after previous winner resigned for mental health

A new Miss USA was crowned this week after the previous winner resigned citing mental health reasons.

“Miss USA 2023 is [Savannah Gankiewicz] from HAWAI’I!” the pageant organization posted on Instagram Thursday. “@Savannahmarai is ready to get to work, with her first stop being on her home island of Maui. Congratulations @savannahmarai, we’re so proud of you!”

“Thank you to @alohilaniresort for hosting and @watanabefloral for this beautiful bouquet,” the post adds, referencing the venue and decor from the “celebratory coronation.”

“I promise to always be transparent with you and to share my experience. I still believe in the Miss USA organization and its future, and my intention is to make positive changes from within and rebuild its legacy,” Gankiewicz wrote in her own Instagram post.

“To the 2024 delegates, I want you to know that the Miss USA title will endure and it will give you the tools to achieve greatness,” her caption reads. “You just have to take [a] leap of faith and believe in yourself.”

Gankiewicz added that she supports the previous pageant winner, and her reason for stepping down.

Noelia Voigt, who became the first Venezuelan-American to win the Miss USA competition last September, said in a social media post earlier this month that she was leaving her title behind due to her “physical and mental well-being.”

“My journey as Miss USA has been incredibly meaningful, representing Utah with pride, and later the USA at Miss Universe,” she said in the post. “Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of Miss USA 2023.”

Voigt, an anti-bullying advocate, didn’t elaborate further, but expressed gratitude for the platform she was given “to make a difference.”

Just days later, UmaSofia Srivastava — Miss Teen USA 2023 — resigned from her title, saying, “I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”