Everything you need to know about the Miss USA pageant

It's almost clip to crown the adjacent Miss USA.

The celebrated pageant has had a tumultuous fewer years, including rigging accusations and two queens giving up their crowns. Thom Brodeur, who was named the new CEO and president of Miss USA successful September 2025, has been moving to usher successful a caller era.

But what's the communicative down the pageant that introduced the world to the likes of Halle Berry and Olivia Culpo, and who is allowed to compete?

We've sewage the answers to each your questions earlier the finals connected August 27.

What is Miss USA?

Miss USA each started because of a swimsuit.

When Miss America 1951 victor Yolande Betbeze refused to airs for pictures successful a swimsuit, Catalina — a swimwear institution sponsoring the title — created its ain pageant. A twelvemonth later, Jackie Loughery became the first-ever Miss USA. That aforesaid twelvemonth was besides the first Miss Universe pageant.

The Miss USA title consists of 3 rounds: swimsuit, evening gown, and interview. Unlike Miss America, which offers danasiwa money arsenic portion of its prize package, the victor of Miss USA is paid a net for her yearlong reign that involves galore appearances and speaking engagements crossed the country.

Every victor besides competes astatine the yearly Miss Universe pageant. Nine American women person won Miss Universe, the astir of immoderate country. Venezuela is successful 2nd spot pinch 7 wins.

Who has owned Miss USA?

The Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe pageants were operated by the Miss Universe Organization until 2020. Donald Trump owned the Miss Universe Organization from 1996 to 2015. He sold the company to Endeavor aft NBC dropped the show pursuing remarks he made astir Mexican immigrants erstwhile announcing his 2016 statesmanlike campaign. Endeavor sold the Miss Universe Organization to Anne Jakrajutatip and her Thailand-based company, JKN Global Group, successful October 2022.

In 2020, some Miss USA and Miss Teen USA were franchised to Crystle Stewart, who won Miss USA successful 2008. The Miss Universe Organization still oversees each nationalist pageant that sends delegates to Miss Universe and has the last opportunity connected immoderate issues. So it was the statement that suspended Stewart successful October 2022 amid allegations the Miss USA pageant had been rigged that year.

Though the Miss Universe Organization said it recovered nary grounds of rigging during its investigation, Stewart and the statement parted ways successful August 2023. Laylah Rose was named the adjacent Miss USA president.

The Miss Universe Organization announced that Thom Brodeur was replacing Rose arsenic the caller Miss USA president and CEO successful September 2025.

Who tin compete astatine Miss USA?

Eligibility rules for the Miss USA pageant person changed drastically complete the past fewer years. In 2023, the pageant began allowing married women and mothers to compete, which is still not permitted successful the Miss America pageant.

All women aged 18 and over are now eligible to compete astatine Miss USA (the cutoff property was 28 until 2024). Women ages 14 to 19 tin compete successful Miss Teen USA. Once you've won a authorities pageant, you tin only compete erstwhile for the Miss USA aliases Miss Teen USA title.

Miss USA contestants are allowed to person tattoos aliases acquisition integrative surgery. There is besides nary tallness requirement.

Unlike Miss America, transgender women are besides allowed to compete astatine Miss USA. The norm was put successful spot by Donald Trump successful 2012 erstwhile he owned the organization.

Who has won Miss USA?

The existent Miss USA is Audrey Eckert, a seasoned pageant queen from Nebraska. Eckert besides placed successful the apical 5 astatine Miss Teen USA successful 2020 and reached the apical 30 astatine Miss Universe 2025.

Texas holds the grounds for the most Miss USA winners. Ten women person won the crown for the Lone Star State, which had a five-year winning streak from 1985 to 1989. Eighteen states person ne'er won a Miss USA pageant, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and New Jersey.

The youngest Miss USA successful history is Myrna Hansen, who was 17 erstwhile she won the crown successful 1953. R'Bonney Gabriel is the oldest victor connected record, winning the title astatine 28 successful 2022.

The Miss USA victor database has go much divers successful caller decades. Miss USA 1962 Macel Wilson was the first female of colour and the first Asian American to triumph the title, while Miss USA 1985 Laura Martinez-Herring was the first Hispanic winner. In 1990, Carole Gist became the first Black female to win, and Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih Slaiby was the first Middle Eastern female to return location the crown.

Gabriel was the first Filipina American to triumph Miss USA, while Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt was the first Venezuelan American to clasp the title.

Why is Miss USA controversial?

The particulate had hardly settled from the scandals of 2022 erstwhile Miss USA recovered itself backmost successful the headlines. In May 2024, Voigt announced she was giving up her crown. Two days later, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava followed suit.

Both women gave fewer specifications connected their resignations, citing caller nondisclosure agreements they had to motion to compete successful 2023. But their mothers, Jackeline Voigt and Barbara Srivastava, told Business Insider astatine the clip that their daughters had suffered done "eight months of torture and abuse" nether Rose's activity arsenic president and CEO of Miss USA. Rose denied the allegations successful an unfastened missive shared successful May 2024.

After Voigt resigned, much than 40 Miss USA 2023 contestants posted a shared Instagram connection demanding that she beryllium released from the NDA. Miss Colorado Arianna Lemus besides resigned successful a show of support, and Miss Teen USA first runner-up Stephanie Skinner refused to presume Srivastava's title.

"One point I will ne'er springiness up is my character, nor my integrity," Skinner told Business Insider astatine the time.

The 2024 Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants went connected arsenic planned, and Alma Cooper and Addie Carver were crowned the respective winners successful August of that year.

In October 2025, Jakrajutatip's institution revenge a suit alleging that Rose's company, VVV Global Ent., grounded to salary Cooper her $100,000 net arsenic Miss USA and had not fixed Carver her $10,000 Miss Teen USA scholarship. The title besides said the Miss Universe Organization had been incapable to unafraid a US broadcaster to aerial the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants owed to Rose's "public scandals." Rose did not respond to requests for remark connected the lawsuit, which is ongoing.

Voigt told Business Insider that she "felt vindicated" by the lawsuit, while Carver said she received her danasiwa prize aft Brodeur took complete the organization.

How tin I watch the Miss USA pageant?

The 75th yearly Miss USA pageant will return spot astatine the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts successful Miami connected August 27, pinch 51 women competing for the crown.

Both the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants will watercourse unrecorded connected the Queen Beauty Network, a last-minute change, arsenic the finals were originally group to aerial connected The CW network.

You tin watch the Miss Teen USA pageant connected August 26 astatine 8 p.m. ET. The Miss USA pageant will aerial connected August 27 astatine 8 p.m. ET.