Miss Michigan Alma Cooper was crowned Miss USA amid a controversial year for the US pageant’s organization. According to ABC News, Cooper was declared the winner on Sunday during a ceremony at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
First runner-up was Connor Perry from Kentucky, while third place went to Danika Christopherson from Oklahoma.
Alma Cooper is also a US Army officer, data scientist and master’s student at Stanford University. “As the daughter of a migrant worker, a proud Afro-Latina and a female officer in the US Army, I am living the American dream,” she said during the page’s Q&A, according to CNN.
A year marked by controversy
Cooper’s coronation comes after the withdrawal of the previous Miss USA 2023, Noelia Voigt, and Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, a fact that generated controversy and led to changes in the organization of the pageant. Both withdrew citing mental health problems and disagreements with the management of the organization, a situation that, according to USA Today, caused Cooper to take the stage in a context already marked by controversy.
In May, Noelia Voigt mentioned in her resignation letter, obtained by ABC News, that there was a “toxic work environment within the Miss USA organization” and reported a situation in which she “was sexually harassed.” Voigt also made accusations against Laylah Rose, president and CEO of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, saying Rose failed to offer her adequate support.
According to USA Today, Rose responded in an open letter denying the accusations and stating that “the allegations of sexual harassment, toxic environment and bullying are not true. Had such behavior ever occurred, we would have taken immediate action to protect our incumbent and provide access to appropriate remedies,” she said in the document.
UmaSofia Srivastava’s mother, Barbara Srivastava, told Good Morning America that "her dream job turned out to be a nightmare," and Voigt said in her resignation letter that Rose "was generally unavailable for communication" and "defamed" her.
Following the resignations of the previous titleholders, the organization crowned Savannah Gankiewicz, Miss Hawaii USA and first runner-up in the pageant, as the new Miss USA. However, the title of Miss Teen USA was left vacant.
“For my fellow Miss USA pageants, I believe it is crucial that we stand together for the future of the organization,” Gankiewicz said in a statement on social media. In addition, Miss USA defended the organization in an interview with News Nation, saying that the bullying allegations are “just the opposite.”