The new Miss Maryland USA has made history by becoming the first Asian American to win the crown in the annual pageant and the first transgender woman to win the title of Miss Maryland. Meanwhile, the Miss USA Pageant is still in the midst of a controversy that followed two winning contestants relinquishing their crowns due to issues with the organization.
Bailey Anne Kennedy, 31, from Montgomery County, now holds the crown and represents Maryland in Miss USA after competing in, and winning, her first ever pageant on June 1.
“To be the first Miss Maryland USA that is representing all of these aspects of what it means to be beautifully confident, it means everything to me,” Kennedy said in a statement. “I do not take it lightly, it is such an honor.”
The recently crowned Miss Maryland will compete in the Miss USA Pageant in August, and says she hopes to advance to the Miss Universe Pageant.
This victory for Kennedy and pivotal moment in the pageant realm occurs as former Miss USA Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava both recently resigned their titles just three months before their reigns were scheduled to end. They both referenced turmoil within the Miss USA organization as the reason for stepping down, raising skepticism about the pageant’s sometimes controversial image.
Parts of Voigt’s resignation letter, which were reportedly leaked to the press, describes a “toxic work environment,” within the organization that had significantly damaged her mental and physical health. She added that she had experienced “heart palpitations, fully body shakes, loss of appetite, unintentional weight loss, loss of sleep, loss of hair, and more.”
Srivastava posted her own note to Instagram, saying, “My personal values no longer align with the direction of the organization.”
Many have speculated that the two are still holding back about the organization’s conduct due to legal obligations from NDAs.
Additionally, a former social media director for Miss USA, Claudia Michelle, has also spoken out about the organization’s alleged misconduct, citing specific mistreatment by the president, Laylah Rose.
The Miss USA Organization responded to Voigt and Srivastava on Instagram by saying it considered the well-being of its titleholders a “top priority,” but did not directly respond to accusations of a toxic workplace.
Since Voigt’s resignation, Miss Hawaii USA, Savannah Gankiewicz, has accepted the crown.
