Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020, when the organization announced it was licensing operation of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants to Crystle Stewart, Miss USA for 2008 prior to her suspension in October 2022, thus returning the said pageants to the Miss Universe Organization.[1] The pageants are now operated by Laylah Rose.
The pageant was owned by Donald Trump from 1996 to 2015 and was previously broadcast on NBC. In September 2015, WME/IMG purchased the pageant from Trump.[2] In 2020, for the first time, the FYI network broadcast the competition. In October 2022, JKN Global Group acquired the pageant from WME/IMG.[3] It is currently broadcast on The CW.[4]
The Miss USA pageant was conceived in 1950 when Yolande Betbeze, winner of the Miss America pageant, refused to pose for publicity pictures while wearing a swimsuit. Pageant sponsor Catalina decided to pull their sponsorship of the pageant and create their own competition.[5] Other owners have included a subsidiary of Gulf+Western Industries, Procter & Gamble under division of Madison Square Productions and Donald Trump.[6][7]
The first Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants were held concurrently in Long Beach, California, in 1952; the first Miss USA winner was Miss New York USAJackie Loughery.[8] There were 30 delegates in the first year of competition. Many states did not compete every year during the first two decades of the pageant's history. Since the 1970s, each state and the District of Columbia have sent a delegate each year. Alaska first competed in 1959 and Hawaii in 1960. Both had competed at Miss Universe until this time.
The pageant aired on CBS from 1963 until 2002 and for many years was known for having a CBS game show host as pageant host. The show's highest ratings were in the early 1980s when it regularly topped the Nielsen ratings.[9][10][11] Viewership dropped sharply from the 1990s to the 2000s, from an estimated viewership of 20 million to an average of 7 million from 2000 to 2001.[12] In 2002, then-owner Donald Trump brokered a deal with NBC, giving it half-ownership of the Miss USA, Miss Universe, and Miss Teen USA pageants and moving them to the network on an initial five-year contract.[13] The pageant first aired on NBC in 2003.
The Miss USA title winner historically represented the U.S. in its sister pageant, Miss Universe. Since its inception, nine Miss USA titleholders have gone on to win Miss Universe. In the mid-1960s, the organization established a rule that when a Miss USA wins the Miss Universe title, the first runner-up assumes the Miss USA title for the remainder of the year. This occurred in 1980, 1995, 1997, 2012, and 2022.[14][15] In 1967, the first runner-up Susan Bradley of California declined the title and the crown went to the second runner-up Cheryl Patton of Florida. The only instance when a first runner-up assumed the title of Miss USA before this period was in 1957, when Mary Leona Gage of Maryland resigned after it was discovered she was married.[16]
The winner is assigned a one-year contract with the Miss Universe Organization, traveling across the United States and sometimes overseas to spread messages about their chosen causes. Aside from the job, the winner also receives a cash allowance for her entire reign, a modeling portfolio, beauty products, clothes, shoes, styling, healthcare, and fitness services from different pageant sponsors. She also gains exclusive access to events such as fashion shows and opening galas, as well as access to casting calls and modeling opportunities throughout New York City. When Donald Trump owned the pageant, the winner was given the use of a Trump Place apartment in New York City during her reign, which she shared with the Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA titleholders.
If the winner cannot fulfill her duties as Miss USA for any reason, including if she wins the Miss Universe title, her 1st runner-up takes over.
After losing its television partners, it was announced that Miss USA 2015 would be streamed on the pageant's website. Shortly before the pageant, however, Reelz Channel announced that it would broadcast Miss USA 2015.[17][18]
In September 2015, IMG acquired the Miss Universe Organization for an undisclosed amount. The company had previously been involved in licensing and production for the events. The following month, Fox announced that it had acquired the U.S. television rights to Miss USA and Miss Universe, beginning with Miss Universe 2015 and Miss USA 2016.[19][20]
Starting with the 2023 edition of the pageant, the Miss Universe Organization announced in August 2022 that it would accept divorced, maritally annulled, married, or widowed women and mothers to compete in the pageant,[21] and the next year adult women of any age could compete.[22] In October, JKN Global Group through JKN Metaverse Inc. acquired the Miss Universe Organization for US$14 million.[3]
Later in September 2023, 2022 winner R'Bonney Gabriel announced that the organization would be forgoing the age limit, even for all its related pageants, not just Miss USA. Accordingly, beginning with Miss USA 2024, adult women 29 years old and above will also be eligible to participate.[23] Also that same month, the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants would move The CW, with Miss USA 2023 airing on the network and Miss Teen USA 2023 streaming on its app.[24] On April 25, 2024, The CW extended its broadcast rights to the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants in a three-year deal; as part of the deal, the Miss Teen USA pageant will air on broadcast television for the first time since 2007.[25]
In late-June 2015, both NBC and Spanish-language network Univision (which was to begin a new five-year contract for Spanish rights replacing Telemundo) announced that they would cut their ties with Donald Trump and the Miss Universe Organization in response to remarks Trump made relating to undocumented immigrants during the launch of his 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Trump threatened to sue both companies over the decision; on June 30, 2015, Trump sued Univision for defamation and breach of contract.[26][27] In February 2016, Donald Trump and Univision reached a settlement ending the litigation. The terms of the settlement remain confidential but included an agreement for Trump to buy back NBCUniversal's stake in the MUO.[28][20]
Response to COVID-19 pandemic
The Miss USA 2020 was impacted by scheduling delays, difficulty finding a location, and broadcasting issues amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. In August 2020 it was announced that it would be televised at FYI and would be held in November.[29]
2020–2022: Split from MUO
In the summer of 2020, the Miss Universe organization finalized licensing of future annual operation of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants to Crystle Stewart, who was Miss USA 2008, until her suspension in October 2022.[1] The first pageant competitions under her directorship as Miss USA Organization were the 2021 productions.
2022–2023: Miss USA 2022 controversy and MUO investigation
Shortly after the Miss USA 2022 competition, the Miss Universe Organization suspended the organizers of the Miss USA pageant (headed by Crystle Stewart) after allegations of favoritism toward the eventual winner, R'Bonney Gabriel, while she was still Miss Texas USA.[30][31]
In August 2023, it was announced that Stewart had stepped down as president of the Miss USA Organization.[32] She was replaced by fashion designer Laylah Rose.[33]
2024–present: Resignation of both National Titleholders
On May 6, 2024, the reigning Miss USA 2023, Noelia Voigt, resigned from the title citing a desire to prioritize her mental health.[34] Two days later, the reigning Miss Teen USA 2023, UmaSofia Srivastava, also resigned from her title. Voigt's resignation statement, which she posted to Instagram,[35] seemingly spelled out (with the first letter of the beginning of each sentence): "I Am Silenced"; although, the last three sentences did not fit this message, spelling out "HIP".[34][36] The New York Times later obtained Voigt's internal resignation letter to the Miss USA organization where she cited "a toxic work environment", "bullying and harassment", and delayed delivery of her prize winnings as reasons for her resignation.[37] Both Voigt and Srivastava hold contracts with the Miss USA organization which have confidentiality agreements.[38]
Voigt's first runner-up, Savannah Gankiewicz of Hawaii, assumed the title of Miss USA 2023 on May 9, 2024.[39] Srivastava's first runner-up, Stephanie Skinner of New York, declined to assume the title of Miss Teen USA 2023, and as of May 14, 2024, the Miss Teen USA 2023 title is vacant.[40]
On May 15, 2024, the mothers of former Miss USA, Noelia Voigt, and Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, came forward to discuss the circumstances surrounding their daughters' unexpected resignations from their titles. Bound by non-disclosure agreements with the Miss USA organization, the young women could not personally address the situation. Their mothers, however, stated in an interview on Good Morning America: "The job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare". They claimed that their daughters were exposed to ill-treatment, abuse, bullying, and felt cornered within the organization. UmaSofia Srivastava announced her resignation on Instagram, stating her values “no longer aligned” with those of the organization. Similarly, Noelia Voigt referenced her mental health in her resignation statement. The nature of her cryptic statement hinted at the idea of being silenced, spelled out in the first 11 sentences of her post. Her mother, Jackeline Voigt, responding to queries about the implied message, avoided confirming its deliberate intent but underscored that her daughter felt silenced due to the ongoing provisions of the non-disclosure agreement.[41]
Competition
The modern pageant consists of a preliminary competition held a week before the pageant when all contestants are judged in swimsuit, evening gown, and interview competitions.[42]
Every year, applicants must have to choose their delegate for the Miss USA pageant who is at the age of 18 or above on the annual state pageant season.[43][44] Each state holds a preliminary competition.[45] In some states, local pageants are also held to determine delegates for the state competition.[46][47] The state winners hold the title "Miss (State) USA" for the year of their reign.
The most successful state is Texas; ten Texas representatives have gone on to win the Miss USA title, more than any other state, including five consecutive winners from 1985 until 1989.[48] California has the second most wins at six, while the District of Columbia, New York, Hawaii, and Illinois each have four.
Miss USA licenses out the state pageants to pageant directors, who in some cases are responsible for more than one state. As of February 2024, the directorial groups are the following:
The first Asian-American woman to win Miss USA was Macel Wilson of Hawaii in 1962; the first Hispanic woman was Laura Martinez-Herring of Texas in 1985; the first African-American winner was Carole Gist of Michigan in 1990;[53] the first Pacific Islander American Miss USA was Brook Lee of Hawaii in 1997;[54] and the first Middle Eastern American Miss USA was Rima Fakih of Michigan in 2010.[55]
Though no woman has ever won both titles outright, Brandi Sherwood of Idaho is the only woman to have held both the Miss Teen USA and Miss USA titles. She was Miss Idaho Teen USA, Miss Teen USA 1989, Miss Idaho USA 1997, first runner-up at Miss USA 1997, and in May 1997 assumed the Miss USA title after Brook Lee of Hawaii won the Miss Universe pageant.[15] Ten other Miss USA titleholders have also previously competed at Miss Teen USA. These include:
The awards most frequently presented at Miss USA are Miss Amity (also known as Miss Congeniality) and Miss Photogenic.
The Miss Amity Award is chosen by the delegates, and recognizes those who are the friendliest and make the pageant experience the most enjoyable. From 1952 to 1964, when the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants were concurrent events, the award could be won by a contestant competing either for Miss USA or Miss Universe. In fact, in 1960, there was a tie, with the award going to Miss Universe Burma, Myint Myint May, and Miss Louisiana USA, Rebecca Fletcher. In 2015, Alaska and Delaware tied for the Miss Congeniality award. Vermont and Wyoming have won five Miss Amity/Congeniality awards, two more than any other state.
The Miss Photogenic prize was first awarded in 1965 and was chosen by journalists until 1996 when it was chosen by an internet vote for the first time. There has been only one tie in this award's history: in 1980, when it was shared between Jineane Ford of Arizona and Elizabeth Kim Thomas of Ohio. The state that has won the most Photogenic awards is Virginia.
Louisiana won both the first Miss Amity and Photogenic awards given to a Miss USA contestant.
Other awards that have been presented include Best State Costume (1962–1993, 2021–present[58]), Style (1995–2001) and Most Beautiful Eyes (1993). In 1998, a special Distinguished Achievement award was given to Halle Berry.[59] Berry was Miss Ohio USA 1986 and placed 1st runner-up to Christy Fichtner of Texas. She later went on to become an acclaimed actress and Oscar winner.
Locations
In the first eight years of competition (1952–1959), the Miss USA pageant was held in Long Beach, California. The competition moved to Miami Beach, Florida in 1960 and stayed there until 1971. In 1972, the pageant was held in Puerto Rico, the only time the pageant has been held outside the continental United States. That pageant was rocked by an explosion at the host hotel.[60]
From 1972 onwards, the pageant has been held in various locations, generally being held in each location for two to three years.
As of 2022, the pageant has been held in the following states:
^ ab"Exclusive: Crystle Stewart takes on new leadership role for Miss USA, Miss Teen USA". Good Morning America. New York City, New York. December 30, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2021. The Miss Universe Organization is announcing that it is licensing both pageants to the former titleholder, actress and entrepreneur. ... Stewart is the first Black woman and person to ever hold the licensing rights to Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.
