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

Miss Virginia Justus Kelley was named the winner of the 75th annual Miss USA pageant on Thursday night at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.

She was crowned by Miss USA 2025 Audrey Eckert.

Kelley, 31, is a foster mom of two, a nonprofit founder, and a children’s book author.

She dresses exclusively in secondhand or sponsored clothing for pageants, as she said in her Miss USA bio, to show that “pageantry can be accessible.” She’s also the first married woman, first mother, and first woman in her 30s to win Miss USA.

The pageant only began allowing married women and mothers to compete in 2023.

Kelley will represent the United States at the Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico in November.

Fifty-one women competed for the Miss USA crown, taking part in swimsuit, evening gown, and interview rounds during the preliminary competition earlier this week in Miami.

The top 20 competed in an onstage swimsuit round, while the top 10 also competed in an evening gown round.

Those who made the top five were asked to answer a final question.

For Kelley, that question was: “For 75 years, Miss USA has reflected the changing face of American women.

If you become the 75th Miss USA, what do you hope your year will say about women in America today?” “We are here tonight celebrating the 75th anniversary of Miss USA, but we also have an opportunity to make history tonight,” Kelley responded. “I’m 31 years old, I’m married to my college sweetheart of nine years, and we are proud foster parents of two adorable siblings that absolutely have my heart.” “What my year as Miss USA would mean and look like is no longer questioning if we have to choose between our ambitious careers, our families, and our wildest dreams,” she continued. “I’m standing on this stage embracing every part of who I am, and I believe that I can be your next Miss USA.” This year, the Miss USA contestants were also judged on a brand-new category called “commercial appeal,” which evaluated how they might attract sponsorships. “When it comes to commercial appeal, Miss USA shouldn’t only look incredible wearing that crown, they should make the rest of the world want to work with the woman wearing it,” Miss USA host and actor Ian Ziering said about the category during the live show.

Ziering’s co-host, Miss USA 1993 Kenya Moore, added that the pageant was “putting emphasis” on the winner’s “ability to connect with a camera, with major brands, with beauty campaigns, and more” by adding the new criteria. “Commercial appeal” was judged based on a portfolio of non-pageant images that were submitted to this year’s judges, who were present for all rounds of the competition, including the preliminary rounds.

This year’s judging panel 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 manager Steven Grossman.

On Tuesday, Miss USA announced on its Instagram page that the audience would also have a say in the top 10 during the finals. “Your vote can have a real impact on who advances,” the Instagram caption read.

Fans watching from home were given a 12-minute window to cast their votes on a website.

They were combined with the judges’ scores, though it was unclear how much weight the fan votes held.

By the end of the 12 minutes, Miss Montana was leading, according to the website, but she didn’t make it to the top 10.

Miss USA has undergone several changes following a tumultuous few years.

The pageant has had three different leaders since 2020 amid scandals that included rigging accusations, lawsuits, and queens relinquishing their crowns.

This year’s final show was originally supposed to air on The CW, but, as Business Insider first reported, the network dropped the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA finals from its schedule on August 20. “After careful consideration and conversations with the Miss USA Organization, The CW Network has decided to forego next week’s broadcasts of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants,” a spokesperson for the network said in a statement.

In an Instagram story posted the same day, the Miss USA organization said it had 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,” it added. “Unfortunately, we were unable to reach mutually agreeable terms for this year’s event.” The final competition for both pageants was available to watch live on the Queen Beauty Network, a streaming service focused on the pageant industry, as it was in 2025.