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The first official Miss Teen USA pageant was held in 1983, 31 years after the first Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.
Miss Teen USA previously featured the same three rounds as Miss USA — swimwear, evening gown, and interview. In 2016, it was announced that the teens’ swimsuits would be swapped for athletic-wear instead.
“This decision reflects an important cultural shift we’re all celebrating that empowers women who lead active, purposeful lives and encourage those in their communities to do the same,” Paula Shugart, who was president of the Miss Universe Organization at the time, told USA Today after the announcement.
“Our hope is that this decision will help all of Miss Teen USA’s fans recognize these young women for the strong, inspiring individuals they are,” she continued.
The Miss Universe Organization operated Miss USA and Miss Teen USA until 2020, when both pageants were franchised out to Crystle Stewart, who won Miss USA in 2008.
Stewart was suspended in October 2022 following allegations the Miss USA pageant had been rigged that year. She was cleared in a third-party investigation, but Stewart and the Miss Universe Organization still decided to part ways in August 2023. Laylah Rose is now the current president and CEO of both Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.
Since 2018, the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants have been held in the same location and within the same week.
Who is eligible to compete at Miss Teen USA?
Women aged 14 to 19 can compete in the Miss Teen USA competition, while all women aged 18 and over are eligible for Miss USA and Miss Universe.
The Miss Teen USA pageant does not accept contestants who are married, have ever been married, or have had a marriage annulled. They also do not accept women who are pregnant or have given birth.
Married women and mothers were also barred from competing at Miss USA until the rule changed in 2023.
Who has won Miss Teen USA?
Fadil Berisha
Just two months into Srivastava’s reign as Miss Teen USA, Barbara said she cut off all direct communication between her daughter and Rose and began acting as their go-between.
Skinner, Srivastava’s first runner-up, told BI that she had always dreamed of being Miss Teen USA but that her decision not to assume the title “meant more than a crown and sash.”
“I’m a survivor of domestic violence. So this meant to be a voice for other people. That’s what this meant for me,” she said. “I will always stand for female empowerment, and I’m a big believer in letting your actions go out in your words.”
BI spoke to more than a dozen people connected to Miss USA and Miss Teen USA amid the controversy.
When is the next Miss Teen USA pageant?
The Miss Teen USA pageant will air on the CW network on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
This is the first time Miss Teen USA will air on television since 2007. It had previously been streamed online via the Miss Teen USA website.