Gibbs placed eighth at Miss Universe 1988. She then pursued an acting career and, according to her IMDb, appeared in the soap opera “All My Children” and films including “Naked Truth.”
1989: Miss Texas Gretchen Polhemus
Gist was the first African-American woman to win the Miss USA crown. She was also the first winner from Michigan, breaking a five-year winning streak by contestants from Texas. She placed first runner-up at Miss Universe 1990.
1991: Miss Kansas Kelli McCarty
Before she won Miss USA, Marketic had been crowned Miss Arizona Teen USA in 1989. She lost the title a week later after it was discovered she had actually placed first runner-up.
1993: Miss Michigan Kenya Moore
Parker placed in the top six at Miss Universe 1994. She’s been a co-anchor on KTLA for more than a decade and has won six Emmys for her work.
Jebbia was the first Miss Massachusetts to win Miss USA. She placed in the top five at Miss Universe 1998 and went on to become a “Barker Beauty” on “The Price is Right.”
1999: Miss New York Kimberly Pressler
Cole was the first Miss Tennessee to win Miss USA. She also won Miss Tennessee Teen USA in 1995, and placed fifth at Miss Universe 2000.
The pageant queen has since worked as a TV host for major channels including NBC, MTV, and ESPN.
2001: Miss Texas Kandace Krueger
Miss USA 2002 was only the second pageant Hinton had ever competed in. She has appeared in shows including “Criminal Minds” and “iCarly.”
2003: Miss Massachusetts Susie Castillo
Finnessey placed first runner-up in the 2004 Miss Universe competition. She has since appeared on reality shows including “The Apprentice,” “Dancing with the Stars,” and “Ready for Love,” which she won.
2005: Miss North Carolina Chelsea Cooley
Conner almost lost her Miss USA crown after tabloids ran stories about her underage drinking and partying at New York City clubs. Trump allowed Conner to continue her reign after she went to rehab.
2007: Miss Tennessee Rachel Smith
Stewart went on to become president of Miss USA in 2020. She ran the pageant for two years but was suspended in October 2022 after contestants claimed that year’s Miss USA competition was rigged.
Olivia Culpo was the first Miss USA to win Miss Universe in 15 years when she took the crown in 2012. She was just 20 years old at the time.
Miss Maryland Nana Meriwether was the first runner-up, so she was crowned Miss USA after Culpo became Miss Universe.
Culpo has since amassed a huge social media following, dipped her toe into acting, and starred on the TLC reality series “The Culpo Sisters” with her family. She is married to Christian McCaffrey, who plays for the San Francisco 49ers.
2013: Miss Connecticut Erin Brady
Sanchez was the first Miss Nevada to win Miss USA and she placed first runner-up in Miss Universe 2014. She previously worked as a Disney princess in Hong Kong Disneyland.
2015: Miss Oklahoma Olivia Jordan
Barber joined the Army when she was 17, and was serving as a logistics commander when she won Miss USA.
“As a commander of my unit, I’m powerful, I am dedicated and it is important that we recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States,” she said during the pageant finals.
“In a moment where I intended to admire the courage of a few of my sisters, I said something that I now realize can be perceived as not respectful, and I apologize,” Summers wrote in an apology she posted to Instagram at the time.
2019: Miss North Carolina Cheslie Kryst
Branch was the first African-American woman to win the title of Miss Mississippi USA.
Voigt was the first Venezuelan American to become Miss USA when she was crowned in Reno, Nevada, in September 2023.
But Voigt ended her reign early when she resigned as Miss USA on May 6. She cited her mental health when she announced she was stepping back as queen. Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava resigned two days later, saying her “personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”
Miss Hawaii Savannah Gankiewicz became queen in Voigt’s stead.
Voigt and Srivastava’s mothers told BI that their daughters were bullied by Miss USA’s president and CEO, Laylah Rose, during their reigns. Rose and Miss USA did not respond to previous requests for comment from BI.