History
The Miss USA pageant was conceived in 1950 when Yolande Betbeze, winner of Miss America, refused to pose for publicity pictures while wearing a swimsuit. Pageant sponsor Catalina decided to remove their sponsorship of the pageant and create their own competition.[4] Other owners have included a subsidiary of Gulf+Western Industries, Procter & Gamble under division of Madison Square Productions and Donald Trump.[5][6]
The first Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants were held concurrently in Long Beach, California, in 1952; the first Miss USA winner was Miss New York USA Jackie Loughery.[7] There were 30 contestants in the first year of competition. Many states did not compete every year during the first two decades of the pageant's history. Since the 1970s, each state and the District of Columbia have sent a contestant each year. Alaska first competed in 1959 and Hawaii in 1960. Both had competed at Miss Universe until this time.
The pageant aired on CBS from 1963 until 2002 and for many years was known for having a CBS game show host as pageant host. The show's highest ratings were in the early 1980s when it regularly topped the Nielsen ratings.[8][9][10] Viewership dropped sharply from the 1990s to the 2000s, from an estimated viewership of 20 million to an average of 7 million from 2000 to 2001.[11] In 2002, then-owner Trump brokered a deal with NBC, giving it half-ownership of the Miss USA, Miss Universe, and Miss Teen USA pageants and moving them to the network on an initial five-year contract.[12] The pageant first aired on NBC in 2003.
The Miss USA title winner historically represented the U.S. in its sister pageant, Miss Universe. Since its inception, nine Miss USA titleholders have gone on to win Miss Universe. In the mid-1960s, the organization established a rule that when a Miss USA wins the Miss Universe title, the first runner-up assumes the Miss USA title for the remainder of the year. This occurred in 1980, 1995, 1997, 2012, and 2022.[13][14] In 1967, the first runner-up Susan Bradley of California declined the title and the crown went to the second runner-up Cheryl Patton of Florida. The only instance when a first runner-up assumed the title of Miss USA before this period was in 1957, when Mary Leona Gage of Maryland resigned after it was discovered she was married.[15]
The winner was formerly assigned a one-year contract with the Miss Universe Organization, traveling across the United States and sometimes overseas to spread messages about their chosen causes. Aside from the job, the winner also receives a cash salary for her entire reign, a modeling portfolio, beauty products, clothes, shoes, styling, healthcare, and fitness services from different pageant sponsors. She also gains exclusive access to events such as fashion shows and opening galas, as well as access to casting calls and modeling opportunities throughout New York City. When Trump owned the pageant, the winner was given the use of a Trump Place apartment in New York City during her reign, which she shared with the Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA titleholders.
If the winner cannot fulfill her duties as Miss USA for any reason, including if she wins the Miss Universe title, her first runner-up takes over.
2015: Acquisition by IMG and Trump controversy
After losing its television partners, it was announced that Miss USA 2015 would be streamed on the pageant's website. Shortly before the pageant, however, Reelz Channel announced that it would broadcast Miss USA 2015.[16][17]
In September 2015, IMG acquired the Miss Universe Organization for an undisclosed amount. The company had previously been involved in licensing and production for the events. The following month, Fox announced that it had acquired the U.S. television rights to Miss USA and Miss Universe, beginning with Miss Universe 2015 and Miss USA 2016.[18][19]
In late-June 2015, both NBC and Spanish-language network
