Miss Virginia becomes the first married woman and mother to win Miss USA

A caller Miss USA has been crowned.

Miss Virginia Justus Kelley was named the victor of the 75th yearly Miss USA pageant connected Thursday nighttime astatine the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts successful Miami. She was crowned by Miss USA 2025 Audrey Eckert.

Kelley, 31, is simply a foster mom of two, a nonprofit founder, and a children's book author. She dresses exclusively successful secondhand aliases sponsored clothing for pageants, arsenic she said successful her Miss USA bio, to show that "pageantry tin beryllium accessible."

She's besides the first joined woman, first mother, and first female successful her 30s to triumph Miss USA. The pageant only began allowing married women and mothers to compete successful 2023.

Kelley will correspond the United States astatine the Miss Universe pageant successful Puerto Rico successful November.

Fifty-one women competed for the Miss USA crown, taking portion successful swimsuit, evening gown, and question and reply rounds during the preliminary title earlier this week successful Miami.

The apical 20 competed successful an onstage swimsuit round, while the apical 10 besides competed successful an evening gown round.

Those who made the apical 5 were asked to reply a last question. For Kelley, that mobility was: "For 75 years, Miss USA has reflected the changing look of American women. If you go the 75th Miss USA, what do you dream your twelvemonth will opportunity astir women successful America today?"

"We are present coming celebrating the 75th day of Miss USA, but we besides person an opportunity to make history tonight," Kelley responded. "I'm 31 years old, I'm joined to my assemblage sweetheart of 9 years, and we are proud foster parents of 2 adorable siblings that perfectly person my heart."

"What my twelvemonth arsenic Miss USA would mean and look for illustration is nary longer questioning if we person to take betwixt our eager careers, our families, and our wildest dreams," she continued. "I'm opinionated connected this shape embracing each portion of who I am, and I judge that I tin beryllium your adjacent Miss USA."

A caller category, a caller judge

This year, the Miss USA contestants were besides judged connected a brand-new class called "commercial appeal," which evaluated really they mightiness pull sponsorships.

"When it comes to commercialized appeal, Miss USA shouldn't only look unthinkable wearing that crown, they should make the remainder of the world want to activity pinch the female wearing it," Miss USA big and character Ian Ziering said astir the class during the unrecorded show.

Ziering's co-host, Miss USA 1993 Kenya Moore, added that the pageant was "putting emphasis" connected the winner's "ability to link pinch a camera, pinch awesome brands, pinch beauty campaigns, and more" by adding the caller criteria.

"Commercial appeal" was judged based connected a portfolio of non-pageant images that were submitted to this year's judges, who were coming for each rounds of the competition, including the preliminary rounds.

This year's judging sheet included Miss USA 2016 Deshauna Barber-Echols, The Shade Room CEO Angelica Nwandu, Miss Universe 1992 Michelle McLean, Miss Puerto Rico 2019 Madison Anderson, "So You Think You Can Dance" choreographer Mia Michaels, and talent head Steven Grossman.

On Tuesday, Miss USA announced connected its Instagram page that the assemblage would besides person a opportunity successful the apical 10 during the finals. "Your ballot tin person a existent effect connected who advances," the Instagram caption read.

Fans watching from location were fixed a 12-minute model to formed their votes connected a website. They were mixed pinch the judges' scores, though it was unclear really overmuch weight the instrumentality votes held. By the extremity of the 12 minutes, Miss Montana was leading, according to the website, but she didn't make it to the apical 10.

A caller reign

Miss USA has undergone respective changes pursuing a tumultuous fewer years. The pageant has had 3 different leaders since 2020 amid scandals that included rigging accusations, lawsuits, and queens relinquishing their crowns.

This year's last show was primitively expected to aerial connected The CW, but, arsenic Business Insider first reported, the web dropped the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA finals from its schedule connected August 20.

"After observant information and conversations pinch the Miss USA Organization, The CW Network has decided to forego adjacent week's broadcasts of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants," a spokesperson for the web said successful a statement.

In an Instagram communicative posted the aforesaid day, the Miss USA statement said it had identified a "contractual rumor pinch our accumulation arrangements that could not beryllium resolved wrong the basal timeframe."

"Since then, our squad has worked diligently to research options that would let america to proceed pinch a unrecorded broadcast connected The CW," it added. "Unfortunately, we were incapable to scope mutually agreeable position for this year's event."

The last title for some pageants was disposable to watch unrecorded connected the Queen Beauty Network, a streaming work focused connected the pageant industry, arsenic it was successful 2025.