Though the night of pageantry began with 51 “delegates” from across the United States, at the conclusion of the 2024 Miss Teen USA competition there was just one teary winner: 16-year-old Addison “Addie” Carver of Mississippi.
Across the night’s proceedings, which aired live on the CW Network from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, there were evening gowns, semi-formal gowns bedecked with horrid oversized bows, absurd “state costumes” and, in a tea party montage highlighting some of the pre-pageant proceedings, all sorts and styles of fascinators. Honestly, pageants need more fascinators. (There was also the “activewear” round, but let's not pretend anyone knows what that’s about.)
In the oft-controversial Q&A round, Carver spoke of mental health struggles she experienced after her father’s death from lung cancer, and how she “found hope through dance.” Her pageant platform seeks to now offer that opportunity to other young people.
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Addison “Addie” Carver of Mississippi twirls onstage during the evening gown competition at the 2024 Miss Teen USA Pageant on August 1, 2024 in Los Angeles.
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesHeavy is the head that wears the crown
Hanging over the night’s proceedings was the recent resignation of the 2023 Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava of New Jersey, whose decision to step down closely followed that of the 2023 Miss USA, Noelia Voigt of Utah.
Though neither addressed their departures in particularly specific terms themselves—allegedly due to non-disclosure agreements they had signed—a flurry of reporting pointed to claims of bullying and mismanagement from pageant officials, and from the Miss USA Organization’s president and CEO, Laylah Rose. Both the queens’ mothers also spoke out on their behalf in an interview with Good Morning America.
Rose provided a pre-recorded message early on in the pageant that made no mention of the controversy either—even if some of the platitudes offered read a little pointed. “Being a trailblazer demands courage and resilience,” Rose said. “It means forging ahead despite obstacles, seeing potential where others see impossibility and turning dreams into reality with unwavering belief.”
“I continue to have faith in the importance of leadership within the Miss USA Organization,” she continued. “As we look to these young delegates, let us find our own courage to dream big, take risks and embrace the unknown.”
Srivastava was never actually replaced as Miss Teen USA; the 2023 pageant’s first runner-up, who would normally be expected to step into the title, chose instead to pass and so the title remained vacant. Instead, the reigning Miss USA, Savannah Gankiewicz of Hawaii (who did choose to take over for Voigt), appeared for the tiara-placing honor.
Also at the pageant, the participation of 17-year-old Kayla Kosmalski of Delaware marked the first-ever state-level titleholder with Down Syndrome to compete at either the Miss USA or Miss Teen USA pageant. She did not make the top 20.
