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Virginia has claimed its 31st victory in the history of the beauty pageant, ushering in an entirely new era. The 2026 Miss USA crown has gone to 31-year-old Justus Kelley.

She has made history as the first mother of two adopted children to win the title, as well as the first married woman and the first contestant over the age of 30 to take home the Miss USA crown. The milestone was made possible by historic rule changes introduced by the organization in 2023, which eliminated age restrictions and opened the competition to married women and mothers.

“This opportunity means absolutely everything to me,” Kelley said in a video posted to the official Miss USA account immediately after her coronation. “Not only are we celebrating the pageant’s 75th anniversary, but we also made history. I’m the first married woman, the first mother and the first contestant over 30. So this is an incredible night.”

Nearly 70 Years After a Historic Scandal

Justus Kelley’s triumph stands in stark contrast to events nearly seven decades ago, when a contestant was stripped of the coveted title for precisely the status that today’s winner celebrates as a source of strength — being a wife and mother.

In July 1957, Leona Gage, representing Maryland, was crowned Miss USA. But a shocking truth soon emerged: Gage had concealed the fact that she had married for the first time at 14 and given birth to her first child that same year. At 16, she became a mother for a second time. She had also lied about her age, telling organizers she was 21 when she was actually 18 at the time of her victory.

Following an official investigation, Leona was disqualified and stripped of her crown. The title was passed to Utah finalist Charlotte Sheffield. However, Sheffield was unable to compete in the Miss Universe pageant because Gage had already been announced as one of the international competition’s semifinalists, after which her results were annulled.

Leona’s son, Rob Kaminer, told the Los Angeles Times before his mother’s death in 2010 that her pageant victory had been both a triumph and a tragedy, followed by a series of difficult challenges, health problems and failed marriages.

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