History Is Made as Miss USA 2026 & Miss Teen USA Are Crowned

History was made at the Miss USA 2026 finals on Thursday (August 27), as Miss Virginia, Justus Kelley, became the first mom and first married woman to win the long-running beauty pageant.

Kelley was awarded the crown at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County in Miami, Florida, beating out 50 other women to claim the title. The final Miss USA Pageant and Coronation was live-streamed on the Queen Beauty Network at 8 pm EST on Thursday; fans can catch up on the show but must be a subscriber.

The 31-year-old from Arlington, Virginia, made history after the event changed its rules in 2023. Previously, moms and married women weren’t allowed to participate in the competition. The new rules also removed the age cap, which was previously set at no older than 28.

Hosts Kenya Moore and Ian Ziering invited some former queens to the stage to announce the top five. Miss Utah, Alayzia Christopher, finished in fourth place. Miss Iowa, Madeline Erickson, placed third. And Miss Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Voight, was named in second place.

The results were decided by a variety of judges, including The Shade Room founder Angelica Nwandu, Miss USA 2016 DeShauna Barber-Echols, former Miss Universe Michelle McLean, Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2019 Madison Anderson, So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Mia Michaels, and talent manager Steven Grossman. Viewers at home also had the chance to vote for their favorites during the Top 20.

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In addition, Kiran Reddy of Georgia was crowned Miss Teen USA 2026, taking over the crown from 2025 winner Mailyn Marsh. The 18-year-old also made history as Georgia’s first Miss Teen USA winner. She previously set a record in July when she was crowned Miss Teen Georgia, becoming the first Indian-American contestant to earn the title.

“It feels so surreal. And I’m so blessed to represent Georgia and be the first winner,” said Reddy, who is hoping to become a doctor. As the new Miss Teen USA, she said she is ready to “be the role model I always needed growing up.”

The Miss USA 2026 finals were supposed to air on The CW, but the broadcast was pulled just days before the event. According to Entertainment Weekly, reps for Miss USA said it was due to a “contractual issue with our production arrangements.” As noted, the finals instead aired on the Queen Beauty Network streaming platform.