A Mom Won Miss USA for the First Time in History

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Justus Kelley, 31, was crowned Miss USA 2026 on Thursday, Aug. 27, in Miami, becoming the first mother and first married woman to legitimately hold the title.

Outgoing Miss USA 2025 Audrey Jolynn Eckert places the crown on Justus Kelley’s head during the emotional coronation moment at Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center on August 27, 2026. Photo by Ivan Apfel / Getty Images.

Kelley represented Virginia, and last year’s winner, Audrey Eckert, 24, placed the crown on her at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

The top three finalists — Miss Virginia Justus Kelley, Miss Florida Aileen Cerchiara, and Miss Pennsylvania Elizabeth Voight — hold hands before the winner is announced at the 2026 Miss USA pageant. Photo by Ivan Apfel / Getty Images.

This year marked the pageant’s 75th edition, themed “75 Years of Icons,” with 51 contestants from all 50 states and D.C. Miss Utah’s Alayzia Christopher finished fourth runner-up, Iowa’s Madeline Erickson third, and Miss Pennsylvania’s Elizabeth Voight second.

A woman in a pink feathered wrap and rhinestone gown speaks into a microphone on a blue-lit pageant stage. — Holding a microphone mid-competition, Justus Kelley addresses the audience on stage at the 2026 Miss USA pageant in Miami, dressed in a sparkling gown with a pink feathered wrap. Photo by Ivan Apfel / Getty Images.

In 2023, Miss USA changed the pageant rules, removing the age cap only allowing women under 28-years-old to compete. They also scrapped a rule preventing moms from joining the competition.

Justus Kelley in a pink feathered gown kneeling on stage while another finalist in a gold gown stands nearby, with contestants and fireworks display in the background. — A tearful Justus Kelley drops to her knees on stage as runner-up Aileen Cerchiara looks on in a wide shot capturing the raw emotion of the 2026 Miss USA coronation at the Adrienne Arsht Center. Photo by Ivan Apfel / Getty Images.

A mom did once wear the crown before her: in 1957, Mary Leona Gage was crowned Miss USA, then had her title stripped after it came out that she was married with two sons.

Miss USA 2026 Justus Kelley in a pink feathered gown, wearing a crown and sash, holding a bouquet and waving on stage. — Justus Kelley waves to the crowd in her pink feathered gown moments after being crowned Miss USA 2026 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami on August 27, 2026. Photo by Ivan Apfel / Getty Images.

Kelley walks away with a prize package valued at over $685,000, including a $150,000 salary, a Range Rover, and a one-year lease in a luxury Miami apartment.

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