Skip to content

Top Navigation

PEOPLE.com PEOPLE.com
    • All News
    • Coronavirus
    • Crime
    • Human Interest
    • Politics
    • Heroes
    • Stories to Make You Smile
    • All Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Country
    • Awards
    • Sports
    • Theater
    • Books
  • Royals
    • All Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Fashion
    • Beauty
    • Health
    • Parents
    • Home
    • Pets
    • Food
    • Tech
    • Travel
  • PeopleTV
    • All Shopping
    • People Tested
    • All Podcasts
    • Me Becoming Mom
    • People Every Day
    • PEOPLE in the '90s

Profile Menu

Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Premium
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Premium
Login
Subscribe

Explore PEOPLE.com

PEOPLE.com PEOPLE.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Rita Moreno Says She Dated Elvis as Revenge Against Cheating Ex Marlon Brando: 'It Was Wonderful'

      Rita Moreno Says She Dated Elvis as Revenge Against Cheating Ex Marlon Brando: 'It Was Wonderful'

      Rita Moreno revealed she dated Elvis Presley to get back at her ex-boyfriend Marlon Brando for cheating on her Read More
    • Machine Gun Kelly Poses with Daughter Casie at the 2021 American Music Awards

      Machine Gun Kelly Poses with Daughter Casie at the 2021 American Music Awards

      The American Music Awards, hosted by Cardi B, are broadcasting live from Los Angeles on Sunday Read More
    • Jennifer Lopez Sings from the Heart in New 'On My Way' Music Video

      Jennifer Lopez Sings from the Heart in New 'On My Way' Music Video

      Jennifer Lopez released the official music video for her song "On My Way," which is featured in her upcoming rom-com Marry Me Read More
  • News

    News

    See All News
    Stars Who Opened Up About Their Sexuality and Gender Identity in 2021

    Stars Who Opened Up About Their Sexuality and Gender Identity in 2021

    • Coronavirus
    • Crime
    • Human Interest
    • Politics
    • Heroes
    • Stories to Make You Smile
  • Entertainment

    Entertainment

    See All Entertainment
    The Best (& Worst) Jeopardy! Celebrity Guest Host Show Moments

    The Best (& Worst) Jeopardy! Celebrity Guest Host Show Moments

    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Country
    • Awards
    • Sports
    • Theater
    • Books
  • Royals
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    See All Lifestyle
    Billie Eilish Ditches Her Blonde Hair for Brunette Tresses: 'Miss Me?'

    Billie Eilish Ditches Her Blonde Hair for Brunette Tresses: 'Miss Me?'

    The singer revealed that she dyed her hair dark brown after debuting her blonde look earlier this year
    • Style
    • Fashion
    • Beauty
    • Health
    • Parents
    • Home
    • Pets
    • Food
    • Tech
    • Travel
  • PeopleTV
  • Shopping

    Shopping

    See All Shopping
    • People Tested
  • Podcasts

    Podcasts

    See All Podcasts
    Sen. Tammy Duckworth Calls Going Back to Work After Having a Miscarriage 'Inhumane'

    Sen. Tammy Duckworth Calls Going Back to Work After Having a Miscarriage 'Inhumane'

    "Even though we cleared my calendar for the day, I was still on the phone. There was no resting, you just kept on going," Tammy Duckworth says on an episode of PEOPLE's podcast Me Becoming Mom
    • Me Becoming Mom
    • People Every Day
    • PEOPLE in the '90s

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Premium
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Premium
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. People.com
  2. Style
  3. Stars You Didn't Know Were in Pageants

Stars You Didn't Know Were in Pageants

Halle Berry, Gal Gadot and more celebs who walked across the pageant stage

By Lindy Segal Updated April 09, 2021 01:33 PM
Skip gallery slides
FB Tweet

1 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Hannah Brown

Hannah Brown Miss Alabama
Credit: Wikimedia

Even before she was The Bachelorette, things were coming up roses for Hannah, who won Miss Alabama USA in 2018. But there was a darker side, too; the star recently opened up about the lasting effects of her pageant career.

"I had a director of a pageant, she emailed me a picture of another girl's body and said, 'I need you to look like this in your swimsuit before this time,' " Brown said in a clip from the Facebook Watch show At Home with the Robertsons. "It killed me, it really did. I would go a year without eating carbs. It really messed with me a lot and I dealt with some anxiety and depression because of it."

 

1 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Michelle Pfeiffer

"Hey, we all gotta start somewhere," the actress joked while sharing a highlight reel of her teen pageant work as Miss Orange County, which noted that the young starlet "would like to become an actress." Her talents at the time? Oil painting and softball. 

2 of 18

3 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Matthew McConaughey

A pageant KING! In a throwback Instagram post in early 2021, the actor revealed that "for 43 years I was Little Mr Texas...until i wasn't."

3 of 18

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Chelsea Handler

chelsea-handler
Credit: Chelsea Handler/Instagram

The comedian's pageant hair and electric blue gown were serious business when she competed for Miss Teen of America.

4 of 18

Advertisement

5 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Eva Longoria

Image
Credit: Splash News Online

The Texas-born Telenovela star got her start as Miss Corpus Christi in 1998.

5 of 18

6 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Halle Berry

Image

The Academy Award winner competed for Miss USA in 1986 (she was Miss Ohio) and just barely missed out on the crown, landing as first runner-up.

6 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

7 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey - 1971
Credit: REX/Shutterstock

The doors to Winfrey's storied TV career were opened by her Miss Black Tennessee win — and Miss Black America entry — in 1972.

7 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement

8 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Image
Credit: Gerry Penny/AFP/Getty

On her way to international superstardom, Priyanka got her start as Miss India — eventually going on to win Miss World in 2000 (no biggie).

8 of 18

Advertisement

9 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Vanessa Williams

Image
Credit: AP

Williams made history in 1983 as the first black woman to win Miss America, but she famously stepped down following a nude photo leak. "For years, I'd walk into an audition and feel the judgment," Williams told PEOPLE in 2012. "I was a scandalous Miss America. Vanessa the Undressa. But I silently thought, one day you'll see what I'm made of." The experience came full circle: In 2015, the star was welcomed back to judge the pageant.

9 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

10 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Gal Gadot

Image
Credit: AFP/Getty

Gadot exploded onto the scene when she won the part of Wonder Woman, but back in 2004, she won a different title: Miss Israel.

10 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

11 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Lynda Carter

Miss Usa Lynda Carter At London Airport
Credit: Bettmann/Getty

Another Wonder Woman who got her start in the pageant world, Carter was named Miss World USA in 1972 after striking it big in her home state of Arizona.

11 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement

12 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Vanessa Lachey

Image
Credit: Miss Universe Organization/AP

Before she became a TRL host or married a boy bander, Vanessa Minnillo was the first-ever Miss Teen USA winner from South Carolina, in 1998. Fun fact: She was also named Miss Congeniality.

12 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

13 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Cybill Shepherd

MISS TEEN USA, DALLAS, USA
Credit: Bs/AP/REX/Shutterstock

Before she hit it big with acting, the Memphis native competed in the Miss Teenage America Pageant when she was 16, and even scored the title of Miss Congeniality.

13 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

14 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Olivia Culpo

Image
Credit: Isaac Brekken/Getty

The street style star rose to fame as Miss USA 2012. She went on to win Miss Universe the same year — the first American winner since 1997.

14 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement

15 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Delta Burke

BURKE MISS FLORIDA, ORLANDO, USA
Credit: Pks/AP/REX/Shutterstock

In 1974, Burke was named Miss Florida, and went on to compete in the Miss America competition, at which she reportedly won a talent scholarship.

15 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

16 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Ali Landry

MISS USA, SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, USA
Credit: Pat Sullivan/AP/REX/Shutterstock

The Miss Louisiana Teen USA went on to win Miss USA in 1996 and later compete in Miss Universe. The pageant success propelled her into television stardom — particularly with a memorable Doritos commercial during the 1998 Super Bowl.

16 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

17 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Diane Sawyer

Diane Sawyer Laughing with Colleagues
Credit: Bettmann/Getty

The revered journalist was a revered beauty queen in 1963, when she was named America's Junior Miss at age 17.

17 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement

18 of 18

FB Tweet
Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Gretchen Carlson

Gretchen Carlson
Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

The former Fox News anchor, and now special contributor to PEOPLE (the TV Show!),  took a teary victory lap as Miss America 1989. She eventually took on the role of chairwoman of the Miss America organization in an attempt to modernize the competition (including, controversially, eliminating the swimsuit competition) but stepped down in 2019.

18 of 18

Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Lindy Segal

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 18 Hannah Brown
    2 of 18 Michelle Pfeiffer
    3 of 18 Matthew McConaughey
    4 of 18 Chelsea Handler
    5 of 18 Eva Longoria
    6 of 18 Halle Berry
    7 of 18 Oprah Winfrey
    8 of 18 Priyanka Chopra Jonas
    9 of 18 Vanessa Williams
    10 of 18 Gal Gadot
    11 of 18 Lynda Carter
    12 of 18 Vanessa Lachey
    13 of 18 Cybill Shepherd
    14 of 18 Olivia Culpo
    15 of 18 Delta Burke
    16 of 18 Ali Landry
    17 of 18 Diane Sawyer
    18 of 18 Gretchen Carlson

    Share & More

    Pinterest Email Send Text Message
    PEOPLE.com

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Meredith© Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab. People is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab Manage Push Notificationsthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab

    Manage Push Notifications

    If you would like to opt out of browser push notifications, please refer to the following instructions specific to your device and browser: Google Chrome and Android, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge.
    © Copyright PEOPLE.com. All rights reserved. Printed from https://people.com

    Sign in

    View image

    Stars You Didn't Know Were in Pageants
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.