Miss Teen USA 2023 Runner-Up Declines Title After Winner Steps Down

Stephanie Skinner is choosing a different path. 

After Miss Teen USA 2023 winner UmaSofia Srivastava announced she was resigning from her title, the pageant’s runner-up opted not to take the crown in her place. 

“I worked so hard and sacrificed so much for this goal to become Miss Teen USA,” Stephanie, 19, told People in an interview published May 13, “and although this title was a dream of mine, I believe one thing I will never give up is my character.”

And while the Miss New York Teen USA admitted that it was an “extremely difficult” choice to make, she also said she was confident that it was “the right decision.”

Stephanie’s rejection of the title arrives less than a week after UmaSofia, 17, shared that she was leaving behind her Miss Teen USA role in the wake of Miss USA 2023 winner Noelia Voigt‘s resignation. 

“After careful consideration,” UmaSofia wrote in a May 8 Instagram post, “I’ve decided to resign as I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”