A new Miss USA has been crowned!
Alma Cooper of Michigan was named Miss USA at the end of the 73rd Miss USA pageant, which aired live on The CW Sunday, Aug. 4.
The 22-year-old is an Army officer and graduate of the United States Military Academy. She's currently pursuing a masters degree in statistics from Stanford. She is the first active-duty Army officer chosen as Miss Michigan USA.
While speaking answering a question during the pageant, Cooper shared more of her background.
"As the daughter of a migrant worker, a proud Afro-Latina woman, and an officer in the United States army, I am living the American dream," she said.
She plan to use her platform to address food insecurity, per her Miss USA bio. Her "ultimate goal is to make healthy foods available to all people."
Before her name was announced, Cooper and her first runner-up, Connor Perry of Kentucky, held each others' hands and seemed to encourage each other.
Other finalists included Miss Ohio (Macy Hudson), Miss Tennessee (Christell Foote), Miss Michigan (Alma Cooper) and Miss Michigan (Danika Christopherson).
The pageant took place a few days after 17-year-old Addie Carver of Mississippi was named Miss Teen USA on Thursday, Aug. 1.
Both pageants, held at the Peaco*ck Theater in Los Angeles, occurred after months of controversy surrounding the Miss USA organization.
Earlier this year, former Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt, former Miss USA Teen 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava and former Miss Colorado USA 2023 Arianna Lemus all relinquished their titles within a few days of each other.
Voigt revealed she was resigning on Instagram May 6. “I realize this may come as a large shock to many. Never compromise your physical and mental well-being,” she said.
“In life, I strongly value the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health. As individuals, we grow through experiencing different things in life that lead us to learning more about ourselves. My journey as Miss USA has been incredibly meaningful, representing Utah with pride, and later the USA at Miss Universe. Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of Miss USA 2023,” she continued.
Social media users noticed that the first letter in every sentence of her full statement spelled out “I am silenced.”
A few days later, Voigt also claimed that Miss USA organization CEO and President Laylah Rose did not seriously examine an incident involving sexual harassment and that she cultivated a toxic work environment in a resignation letter obtained by NBC News.
As for Srivastava, she wrote, in part, in her Instagram letter May 8 that her “personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”
Lemus’ statement came two days later. “I stand in solidarity with Noelia and UmaSofia, former Miss USA & Miss Teen USA 2023, as I step down from my role as Miss Colorado USA. Noelia and UmaSofia’s voices have been stifled by the constraints of a contract that undermines their rights and dignity. These remarkable women serve as a poignant reminder of the urgent need for reform within the Miss USA organization,” she said on Instagram May 10.
In the caption, she added, “Silencing women is not the definition of pageantry.”
The Miss USA responded to Voigt and Srivastava renouncing their titles in similar social media posts.
“Thank you, Noelia, for your service as Miss USA. We wish you the best in this next chapter,” the organization said for Voigt, in part. “We respect and support Noelia’s decision to step down from her duties. The well-being of our titleholders is a top priority, and we understand her need to prioritize herself at this time.”
For Srivastava, the organization said in a now-deleted Instagram post, “UmaSofia, we are wishing you all the best. Thank you for your service as Miss Teen USA. We respect and support UmaSofia’s decision to step down from her duties. The well-being of our titleholders is a top priority.”
Rose reacted to the resignations in a statement to NBC News, writing that “the well-being of all individuals associated with Miss USA is my top priority.”
She added, “All along, my personal goal as the head of this organization has been to inspire women to always create new dreams, have the courage to explore it all, and continue to preserve integrity along the way. I hold myself to these same high standards and I take these allegations seriously.”
Gankiewicz, former Miss Hawaii USA who was runner-up at the 2023 Miss USA pageant, inherited the MISS USA title on May 15.
Prior to taking over, Gankiewicz released a statement that said, in part, “Please know that my decision to accept the Miss USA crown was not one that was made lightly. I stand with Noelia and admire her strength to step down and prioritize her mental health.”
Stephanie Skinner, former Miss Teen New York and runner-up for Miss USA Teen 2023, declined replacing Srivastava.
“It was an extremely hard decision to make,” she told People in an article published May 13.
Skinner continued, “I worked so hard and sacrificed so much for this goal to become Miss Teen USA and although this title was a dream of mine, I believe one thing I will never give up is my character.”
Gankiewicz referenced the pageant's tumultuous year when she spoke before handing over her crown to Cooper. "I think I can say I've had the most unique reign in history," she said.
Ariana Brockington
Ariana Brockington is a trending news reporter at TODAY digital. She is based in Los Angeles.
Elena Nicolaou
Elena Nicolaou is a senior entertainment editor at Today.com, where she covers the latest in TV, pop culture, movies and all things streaming. Previously, she covered culture at Refinery29 and Oprah Daily. Her superpower is matching people up with the perfect book, which she does on her podcast, Blind Date With a Book.
