Women Who Became Famous After Competing in the Miss Universe Pageant

Kenya Moore represented the United States at the 1993 Miss Universe pageant.

Moore won Miss USA while representing Michigan, becoming the second Black woman to win the pageant in its history.

She went on to place in the top six at Miss Universe, while Dayanara Torres from Puerto Rico took home the top crown.

After her time as Miss USA ended, Moore appeared on television shows like “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “Living Single,” but today, she’s best known for her extensive career in reality television.

Moore has been a cast member on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” since 2012, and she’s appeared on other reality shows including “The Apprentice” and “Dancing With the Stars.”

Ali Landry competed at Miss Universe in 1996.

Landry won the Miss Louisiana and Miss USA pageants in 1996, earning her a spot at that year’s Miss Universe competition.

Like Moore, she placed in the top six at the pageant but did not win. Alicia Machado of Venezuela was crowned Miss Universe that year.

Landry also went on to pursue acting after her pageant career was over, gaining fame after appearing in a Doritos ad that aired during the 1999 Super Bowl and starring as Rita Lefleur on “EVE” from 2003 to 2006. She was also in the divisive film “Sound of Freedom” this year.

Gal Godot represented Israel when she competed at Miss Universe.

Gadot was crowned Miss Israel in 2004. She went on to compete for her home country at Miss Universe the same year, but she didn’t place among the top 10 during the pageant. The Miss Universe crown went to Jennifer Hawkins of Australia.

After her Miss Israel win, Gadot enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces from 2004 to 2006 to complete the mandated two years of service required for all Israeli citizens before she pursued a career in acting.

As her IMBd page notes, Gadot’s role as Gisele in 2009’s “Fast and Furious” propelled her to fame. She’s gone on to appear in both American and Israeli films, most notably starring as the titular character in 2017’s “Wonder Woman” and other films in the DC universe.

Gadot also stirred up controversy in Hollywood in 2020 when she spearheaded a now-notorious video of celebrities singing “Imagine” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Former Miss USA president Crystle Stewart competed at Miss Universe in 2008.

Stewart has been in the headlines over the last year, but she first gained fame when she won Miss USA in 2008 while representing Texas.

When she competed at Miss Universe, Stewart made it to the top 10, but she fell during the evening gown portion of the competition. Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela won the crown.

After her Miss USA win, Stewart went into acting, as her IMDb page notes. Her most notable role was Leslie Morris in the TBS and OWN series “For Better or Worse,” which aired from 2011 to 2017.

Stewart returned to the pageant world in 2020, becoming president of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. But she was suspended from her position in November 2022 after multiple contestants said the pageant was rigged in favor of R’Bonney Gabriel, who went on to win Miss Universe in January 2023.

An investigation found that there was no evidence the Miss USA pageant was fixed, but Miss Universe announced that Stewart was parting ways with the organization permanently in August 2023.

Olivia Culpo won the 2012 Miss Universe pageant.

Culpo became the first Miss USA to win Miss Universe in 15 years when she took the crown in 2012. She competed in her very first pageant at Miss Rhode Island USA and then went on to win Miss USA and Miss Universe that same year.

She turned to Hollywood after her reign, appearing in films including “The Other Woman” with Cameron Diaz in 2014, and “I Feel Pretty” with Amy Schumer in 2018, according to her IMDb page.

In 2022, Culpo starred in the TLC reality show “The Culpo Sisters” with her family.

Culpo is now a successful Instagram influencer with more than five million followers. She is also currently engaged to the San Francisco 49ers player Christian McCaffrey.

Catriona Gray represented the Philippines when she won Miss Universe in 2018.

Gray was already a decorated pageant queen before she won Miss Universe in 2018. She competed at Miss World 2016 for the Philippines, placing in the top five, and is the first Filipino to represent the country at both Miss World and Miss Universe.

Gray went viral during the Miss Universe 2018 pageant thanks to her “lava walk,” which won praise from supermodels Tyra Banks and Ashley Graham. 

After her reign, Gray went on to host and perform on the Philippines musical variety show “Sunday Noontime Live!”

She was also a backstage correspondent for the Miss Universe 2022 competition, and she will perform the same role during the 2023 finals on Saturday.

Gray is currently engaged to the Filipino-American actor Sam Milby.

Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst ranked in the top 10 at Miss Universe.

Kryst won Miss USA in 2019 while representing North Carolina, and she placed in the top 10 at Miss Universe. Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa took home the crown and became Kryst’s roommate in New York City that year.

Both Kryst and Tunzi helped make history, as 2019 was the first time Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss Universe, and Miss America had all been won by women of color.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kryst became the longest-reigning Miss USA titleholder in history at 557 days.

Kryst was a complex-litigation attorney before her Miss USA reign and once helped free a client who had been sentenced to life in prison. She went on to become a correspondent for “Extra” and received two Daytime Emmy nominations.

Kryst died on January 30, 2022, at the age of 30.