The winner of the 2026 Miss USA pageant is… Justus Kelley from Virginia!
The 31-year-old beauty queen was crowned the winner on stage at the finals on Thursday (August 27) at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Fla.
Justus is making history for multiple reasons!
Justus Kelley is the first mom and first married woman to win Miss USA
Miss USA had some rule changes in 2023, ending the previous age limits and allowing mothers to enter the competition.
Justus, who is both a married woman and a mother, is now the first to win the pageant in both of those categories, according to People.
What does the winner of Miss USA get for winning?
People reports that the prize package for Miss USA this year is valued at “over $685,000.”
The title of Miss USA comes with a $150,000 salary, a lease in a luxury Miami apartment building for one year, a Range Rover vehicle, $30,000 in wardrobe for Miss Universe, and even a vacation home club from Westgate.
Why the pageant didn’t air on TV this year
The pageant didn’t air on The CW due to a contractual issue between the organization and the network.
Both parties confirmed that the pageant has been dropped by the network and it will now stream on a different platform.
The Miss USA organization wrote, “Two weeks ago, we identified a contractual issue with our production arrangements that could not be resolved within the necessary timeframe. Since then, our team has worked diligently to explore options that would allow us to continue with a live broadcast on The CW. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach mutually agreeable terms for this year’s event.”
The pageant aired on the streaming service Queen Beauty Network instead.
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