The 75th Miss USA pageant was a historic one. Miss Virginia, Justus Kelley, was crowned Miss USA on Thursday, making her the first mom, first married woman, and first woman in her 30s to win. The pageant changed its rules in 2023 so that being over 28, being married, or being a mother no longer disqualified a woman from entering the pageant. The organization also underwent major leadership changes amid winners stepping down and declining to attend events, citing supposed value misalignment. Mary Leona Gage actually would have held Kelley’s title had the ancient rules never been instated. Gage was crowned Miss USA in 1957, but after organizers discovered she was married and had two children, she was stripped of the title. So Kelley is considered the first officially recognized mother to hold the Miss USA crown. The pageant winner reportedly took home a prize package valued at over $685,000—a $150,000 salary, a Range Rover, a one-year lease in a luxury Miami apartment, a Westgate Vacation Home, a $30,000 Miss Universe wardrobe, and more.
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