The 31-Year-Old Miss Virginia Became the First Mother and First Married Woman to Win Miss USA, Three Years After the Pageant Expanded Its Eligibility Rules
Justus Kelley made history Thursday night when she was crowned Miss USA 2026, becoming the first mother and first married woman to win the national pageant.
Kelley, 31, represented Virginia and received the crown Aug. 27 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami during Miss USA’s 75th anniversary competition.
Her victory represents a major shift for a pageant that, until just a few years ago, would not have allowed her to compete.
Miss USA changed its eligibility requirements in 2023, removing longstanding restrictions that prevented married women and mothers from participating. The organization also eliminated its previous age limit.
Three years later, Kelley became the first contestant directly benefiting from those changes to capture the national title as both a wife and mother.
She succeeds Audrey Eckert, who returned to the Miss USA stage Thursday to crown her successor.
The final results named Elizabeth Voight of Pennsylvania second runner-up, Madeline Erickson of Iowa third runner-up and Alayzia Christopher of Utah fourth runner-up.
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Miss USA Celebrates 75 Years
This year’s competition was held under the theme “75 Years of Icons,” recognizing generations of women who have represented the organization throughout its history.
Former titleholders joined contestants onstage ahead of the final announcement, while competitors from across the United States and the District of Columbia took part in nearly two weeks of events in Miami leading up to the coronation.
Those events included preliminary competitions and the pageant’s costume competition.
Kelley’s victory also comes with a prize package reportedly worth more than $685,000. According to PEOPLE, the package includes a reported $150,000 salary, a Range Rover, a one-year luxury apartment lease in Miami and wardrobe benefits.
A Historic Crown During a Changing Era
Kelley’s win comes as Miss USA continues through a period of transition following recent leadership, ownership and internal disputes involving figures including Laylah Rose and Thom Brodeur.
But Thursday night placed the focus back on the contestants and on a milestone that would have been impossible under the organization’s former rules.
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By crowning Kelley, Miss USA’s expanded eligibility policies moved from being simply a rule change to producing a historic first.
Her victory shows how the pageant’s definition of who can wear the crown has broadened beyond the traditional standards that shaped the competition for decades.
