Miss USA 2026 breaks 73-year tradition with historic Miss Virginia crowning

Miss USA has officially crowned its new winner - and this year’s champion has made history in more ways than one.

For those who are unfamiliar with the competition, Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that’s been held annually since 1952 to select the US entrant for Miss Universe.

On Thursday (August 27), the judges crowned Miss Virginia USA 2026 Justus Kelley as the winner of this year’s 75th Diamond Anniversary pageant, in a ceremony that took place at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida.

The 31-year-old became not only the first-ever wife to hold the title, but also the first-ever mother, following the organisation’s inclusive rule changes in 2023.

Prior to these, shockingly, only women between the ages of 18 and 28 who had never been married and had no children were allowed to compete for the Miss Universe crown.

Thankfully, though, organisers dropped the controversial restrictions and made it so any woman above the age of 18 can get involved.

As per The Independent, the pageant said in a statement at the time: “We all believe that women should have agency over their lives and that a human’s personal decisions should not be a barrier to their success.”

Proudly wearing her sash and tiara, Justus said in a video shared to the Miss USA Instagram page: "I’m Justus Kelley, and I just won Miss USA 2026.

“This opportunity means the world to me, and not only are we celebrating the 75th anniversary, but we made history tonight.

“I’m the first married woman, first mom, and first woman in her 30s. It’s a great night."

An emotional moment during the ceremony saw last year’s Miss USA, Audrey Eckert, 24, place the crown on her successor’s head.

As reported by E! News, Justus is fostering a baby boy and his sister with her husband, and is the founder of Foster Footprints - an organization that works with foster youth in the Washington, DC, area.

She previously told PEOPLE Magazine in an interview: “I married my college sweetheart, who shared with me on one of our very first dates that he, too, dreamed of fostering someday.

“Thirteen years later, we have welcomed children ranging from seven months to 10 years old into our home.”

Justus added: “From the beginning, we knew we wanted to be a safe, loving and welcoming home for children of any age, race, orientation or background. We wanted every child who came through our doors to know that they were safe, valued and worthy of being loved exactly as they are.”

She even travelled to the Miss USA pageant with her belongings in trash bags to raise awareness, explaining that it’s ‘the very type of bag I’ve seen children in foster care transition into my own home carrying’.

Women from around the world have been reacting to Justus’ historic win, with one X user writing: “Her emotional victory is a powerful reminder that dreams and motherhood can go hand in hand.”

A second agreed: “I love this for my home state & I love this for us moms who feel like our life ends after having children. Congrats Justus Kelley!!!”

And a third gushed: “Congratulations, Mama! What a moment!”

Justus will go on to proudly represent the United States at Miss Universe 2026 in Puerto Rico, in November.