Miss Hawaii has battled an onslaught of online bullying in the week since accepting the Miss USA crown following the first-place winner’s shocking resignation.
Savannah Gankiewicz, 28, said the backlash “breaks her heart” in a speech Friday while visiting the Lahaina wildfire victims.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen on social media, but since I’ve gotten this title I’ve dealt with a lot of bullying and harassment,” the reigning pageant queen said while holding back tears.
“I didn’t want to cry, but I just feel like it’s hard because I wish people saw where my heart is coming from.”
Gankiewicz’s social media has been flooded with hateful comments accusing the original runner-up of not deserving the Miss USA title — with the most serious threats calling for her to be injured for accepting the role.
The bullying has even made its way into Gankiewicz’s mother’s online channels, with one person telling her they “hope your daughter gets shot & dies.”
Rather than let the slander get to her, Gankiewicz has decided to take the hate in stride and graciously rule over the five remaining months after original titleholder Noelia Voigt stepped down earlier this month.
“It’s about helping Lahaina and helping Maori residents and having a platform but also showing young women that you can get bullied and you can get hurt but you stand back up and you keep going and you keep using your voice,” Gankiewicz said to a heavy round of applause.
Gankiewicz accepted the title last week, just days after Utah native Voigt gave up the Miss USA crown to prioritize her mental health.
The move marked the first time in the pageant’s 72-year history that a titleholder voluntarily relinquished the crown.
The shocking resignation was made even more dramatic when 17-year-old Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava followed suit — with sources telling The Post that “bullying” by management was likely to blame.
“This toxic atmosphere is a serious concern,” an anonymous insider previously told The Post about the dual shake-ups.
“There is an urgent need for intervention at the leadership level.”
Gankiewicz, a model, entrepreneur and the program director of the nonprofit What Makes You Feel Beautiful, said at the time that her decision to accept the title was not “made lightly.”
“Noelia, it was the honor of a lifetime to share the stage with you during your crowning moment and I wish you all the best in your next chapter,” she said in the statement, writing that she vowed to use her “little time” as Miss USA to help rebuild Lahaina on her home island of Maui.
The Miss USA organization has been embroiled in controversy over the years, most notably receiving backlash in 2022 after contestants alleged the competition was rigged.
In 2023, Max Sebrechts, the husband of ousted Miss USA president Crystle Stewart, was accused of sending “unwanted” sexual messages to pageant participants.
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