Former Miss North Carolina USA Brittany Boltinhouse filed a defamation lawsuit against pageant organizers after the Miss USA organization stripped her of her title earlier this month.
Marissa Teijo, Miss Paso del Norte, set the record for the oldest contestant in pageant history when she took the stage as one of 75 contestants vying for the crown.
An Indiana beauty pageant winner has been indicted in Chicago and linked to a major drug cartel.
As the first runner-up, Gankiewicz was announced as the replacement for former Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt, who stepped aside May 6.
The two beauty queens allege that a very ugly work environment turned toxic, but because they are both bound by contracts with confidentiality clauses, their moms are finding a platform to give voice to their experiences.
The pageant responded with an Instagram post, writing that it respected Srivastava's decision, considered the well-being of titleholders "a top priority," and that a successor would be named soon.