Halle Berry, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Vanessa Williams are among the stars who walked across the pageant stage before becoming household names
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They are poise, they are grace, they are former pageant queens of the United States!
Before they rose to stardom, Vanessa Williams, Halle Berry and Priyanka Chopra Jonas were regulars on the beauty pageant circuit. They took home tiaras, but are far from the only familiar faces to have done so.
Olivia Culpo kicked off her career as Miss Universe, and Oprah Winfrey has credited her early pageant days in the '70s with paving the way for her burgeoning talk show career. Even Matthew McConaughey has memorable story about the time he nearly became a pageant king himself.
In 2017, Berry shared a throwback photo from her Miss World days on Instagram, captioning the 1986 photo, "Where it all began."
Here's a look back at the journeys of stars who once competed in pageants.
01 of 15
Hannah Brown
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Even before her time on The Bachelorette, things were coming up roses for Hannah Brown, who won Miss Alabama USA in 2018.
02 of 15
Michelle Pfeiffer
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"Hey, we all gotta start somewhere," Michelle Pfeiffer joked on Instagram while sharing a highlight reel in February 2021 of her teen pageant days as Miss Orange County, where it was noted that the young starlet "would like to become an actress."
Her talents at the time? Oil painting and softball.
03 of 15
Chelsea Handler
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Chelsea Handler's pageant hair and electric-blue gown were serious business when she competed for Miss Teen of America.
"My awkward phase came in my early 40s," the comedian captioned her nostalgic photo on Instagram in September 2017.
Months earlier, she shared a throwback photo on Instagram of herself as a 14 year old competing in the Miss Teen New Jersey Pageant, dressed as "a businesswoman" in bold red.
04 of 15
Halle Berry
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Then known as Miss Ohio, Berry competed for Miss USA in 1986. As the Academy Award-winning actress recalled to W magazine in September 2016, her pageant past has a unique origin story.
"Actually, my boyfriend at the time wanted a beauty pageant girlfriend. So he entered me, and I got this letter in the mail saying, 'You are a finalist in the Miss [Teen] Ohio,' and I thought, 'Uh, what is this?' " Berry said. "And then he told me, 'Oh, by the way, I sent your prom picture in and now you have to go.' "
She continued, "I ended up winning. And once you start winning these things, it's like a snowball. And you have to go to the next one, and if you [win] there, you go to the next one, and I kept winning all the way until the Miss USA pageant, where I did not win. I was first runner-up to Christy Fichtner. And that ended my beauty pageant career."
05 of 15
Oprah Winfrey
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The doors to Winfrey's storied TV career opened following her wins as Miss Fire Prevention and Miss Black Tennessee, as well as for participating in Miss Black America in the early '70s.
"I entered the Miss Fire Prevention contest sponsored by my local radio station WVOL in Nashville," she wrote for LinkedIn of winning the former pageant in February 2016. "Everyone, especially me, was shocked when I won. When I went back to the radio station to claim my prize, a Longines watch and a 'digital' clock radio, the local DJ saw me looking around in awe."
After the DJ heard her speak on tape, Winfrey recalled, "I left the station that day with the biggest prize of all — my first job in broadcasting. I was 17 years old."
06 of 15
Priyanka Chopra Jonas
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On her way to international superstardom, Chopra Jonas began her journey to fame by becoming Miss India World — and eventually becoming Miss World in 2000.
In February 2020, the Quantico actress shared a throwback photo on Instagram from her Miss World days alongside the caption, "Miss World at 18! The turn of the millennium…the year 2000! Wow…feels like just yesterday I was living this dream."
"Now, almost 20 years later, my enthusiasm for changing the status quo remains as strong and is at the core of everything I do," she continued. "I truly believe girls have the power to bring about change if they get the opportunities they deserve."
07 of 15
Vanessa Williams
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In addition to being named Miss Syracuse and Miss New York, Williams made history in 1983 as the first Black woman to win Miss America, but she later stepped down after a nude photo scandal.
Her win, however, brought death threats and racism from people who felt like, " 'You're Black, so you're not representing America,' " she told PEOPLE in July 2024. "That was startling and terrifying. Thank God I had my parents supporting me."
Her mom and dad were also the ones she turned to months later when her reign abruptly ended.
"Luckily, I have a tremendous family, and in times of crisis, that's who you need to depend on," she said. "You can do anything when you've got a team around you."
However, her journey came full circle when, in 2015, the Miss America CEO welcomed the Ugly Betty actress back to judge the pageant.
08 of 15
Gal Gadot
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Gal Gadot rose to fame when she landed the part of Wonder Woman, but in 2004, she won a different title: Miss Israel.
"At 18, I was approached to compete in Miss Israel. I thought, 'That would be a nice experience.' I never thought I would win!" the Snow White actress told Glamour in March 2016.
"I was shocked when they crowned me; when I went to Miss Universe, I rebelled," she added. "I was afraid I might get picked again … I showed up late. I came without gowns. They tell you to come to breakfast in a gown. I was like, 'No way am I having breakfast in a gown!' "
09 of 15
Lynda Carter
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Another Wonder Woman who got her start in the pageant world, Lynda Carter was named Miss World USA in 1972 after representing her home state of Arizona.
10 of 15
Olivia Culpo
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Culpo, who began her pageant reign as Miss Rhode Island, gained recognition after becoming Miss USA 2012. She went on to win Miss Universe that same year, becoming the first American to win the title since 1997.
She told GQ in June 2012 that she won the state title wearing a rented "$20 dress … with a hole in the back."
The influencer told PEOPLE in 2025 that she "saves everything," including her gowns, for her young daughter Colette Annalise, whom she and her husband, NFL running back Christian McCaffrey, welcomed in July 2025.
"I have a whole storage unit for her with all of my wedding dresses, my pageant dresses — all of my really valuable keepsakes," she said, adding that she wants her treasured items to "be intact" for Colette when she's older.
11 of 15
Delta Burke
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In 1974, Delta Burke was named Miss Florida and went on to compete in the Miss America competition, where she reportedly won a talent scholarship.
Over the course of her pageant career, Burke won 18 titles, according to Publishers Weekly.
12 of 15
Ali Landry
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Miss Louisiana Teen USA Ali Landry went on to win Miss USA in 1996 and later competed in Miss Universe. Her pageant success propelled her into TV stardom, particularly with a memorable Doritos commercial during the 1998 Super Bowl.
In 1998, Landry was named one of 50 PEOPLE's World's Most Beautiful. She has also been listed among FHM magazine's 100 Sexiest Women in the World multiple times.
13 of 15
Diane Sawyer
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Esteemed journalist Diane Sawyer was a revered beauty queen in 1963 when she was named America's Junior Miss at age 17.
14 of 15
Gretchen Carlson
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Former Fox News anchor and PEOPLE (the TV Show!) special contributor Gretchen Carlson took a teary victory lap as Miss America 1989. She later became chairwoman of the Miss America organization in an attempt to modernize the competition — including, controversially, eliminating the swimsuit competition — but stepped down in 2019.
15 of 15
Selena Gomez
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Selena Gomez gave us the cutest #ThrowbackThursday post in 2015 when she shared this Kodak moment of herself as a pint-sized pageant queen.
"Oh my … Talk about tbt," the Only Murders in the Building star captioned the post on X in February 2015, which shows the young Gomez donning a big white gown while carrying her trophy and a flower bouquet.
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