Crystle Danae Stewart (born September 20, 1981) is an American actress, host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won
Miss USA 2008
Miss USA 2008 was the 57th Miss USA pageant, held in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2008. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Crystle Stewart of Texas was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder Rachel Smith of Tennessee. ...
. Stewart later began an acting career, starring as a
real estate agent
A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and age ...
Leslie Morris on the OWN/TBS comedy-drama television series ''
For Better or Worse'' from 2011 to 2017 and in 2018 starred in the thriller film ''
Acrimony
Acrimony may refer to:
* a feeling of hatred
* Acrimony (band), a rock band
* ''Acrimony'' (film), a 2018 film
See also
* Agrimony, a plant
* ''Acremonium
''Acremonium'' is a genus of fungi in the family Hypocreaceae. It used to be known a ...
''.
Since 2020, Stewart has also been the national director of
Miss USA
Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020, ...
and
Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant formerly run, since 1983, by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. Unlike its sister pageants Miss Universe, which currently broadcasts on Fox and Miss USA, this pageant is webcast on the M ...
.
Life and career
Early life
Stewart was born in Houston, Texas, to Robert and Cynthia Franklin Stewart. She has a brother, Robert, and a sister, Breana.
She married Belgian model Max Sebrechts in August 2014. The pair share a daughter Anne-Jolie and a son Maxime Jr.
Pageantry
Stewart won the
Miss Texas USA
The Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. This pageant is part of the Miss USA Organization, owned by Texas native C ...
2008 title in a state pageant held in
Laredo, Texas
Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the flag of th ...
on July 1, 2007, after competing against 121 other contestants.
She represented Texas in the Miss USA 2008 pageant held in April 2008. Crystle Stewart graduated from
Elkins High School in Missouri City, and graduated from the
University of Houston
The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...
in 2007. Additionally, Stewart graduated from
Barbizon Modeling and Acting School
Barbizon Modeling and Acting School is an international modeling and acting school headquartered in Tampa, Florida that provides instructional courses in the domain of modeling and personal development.
History
The first Barbizon School of ...
in Houston.
This was Stewart's fifth attempt at the Miss Texas USA title; she had placed first runner-up in both the 2006 and 2007 events; third runner-up in 2005; and made the semi-finals in 2003. Her first appearance in the state pageant was in 2002 when she made the semi-finals of the Miss Texas USA 2003 pageant competing as Miss Fort Bend County. In 2004, Stewart again competed as Miss Fort Bend County and placed third runner-up to
Tyler Willis
Tyler Colie Willis Avary (born January 2, 1980) is a beauty queen from Brownfield, Texas who has competed in the Miss USA pageant. She was born to James & Joetta Warren Willis. She has one sister named Kaci.
Miss Texas USA 2005
Willis won the Mi ...
at Miss Texas USA 2005. The following year, she competed in the Miss Houston local pageant and placed first runner-up to
Lauren Lanning
The Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. This pageant is part of the Miss USA Organization, owned by Texas native ...
. She competed at Miss Texas USA 2006 as Miss Harris County, and placed first runner-up to Lanning for the second time. In 2006, she placed first runner-up to Miss Houston for a second time and, in a double repetition, placed first runner-up to Miss Houston,
Magen Ellis, in the 2007 state pageant (competing as Miss Southeast Texas).
In 2007, she did not compete for a local title, and instead entered as an at large delegate for Miss Texas USA 2008, again holding the Miss Fort Bend County title. She made the final two in the state-televised pageant, alongside Miss Houston
Brooke Daniels, who was also a runner-up at Miss Texas USA 2007. This time Stewart won the title and was crowned Miss Texas USA 2008. She also won the Everything but Water Swimsuit award, announced during the preliminary competition. Stewart is the second African American to win the crown at Miss Texas USA;
Chelsi Smith
Chelsi Mariam Pearl Smith (August 23, 1973 – September 8, 2018) was an American actress, singer, television host and beauty queen who was crowned Miss USA 1995 and Miss Universe 1995. Smith was the third Miss USA of African-Americans, African- ...
was crowned Miss Texas USA 1995 (and later Miss USA and Miss Universe).
On April 11, 2008, Stewart represented Texas in the
Miss USA 2008
Miss USA 2008 was the 57th Miss USA pageant, held in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2008. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Crystle Stewart of Texas was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder Rachel Smith of Tennessee. ...
pageant where she became the ninth Texan to win the Miss USA title. Throughout her reign she served for various charities, conducted media interviews and made other public appearances. On 26 April, she attended the
White House Correspondents' Association
The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the president of the United States. The WHCA was founded on February 25, 1914, by journalists in response to an unfounded rumor t ...
dinner.
Stewart holds a degree in consumer science and merchandising from the
University of Houston
The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...
. Stewart is represented as a model by Neal Hamil Agency in Houston.
On July 13, 2008, Stewart represented the US at the
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stre ...
pageant
Nha Trang
Nha Trang ( or ; ) is a coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa Province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the north by Ninh Hoà town, on the south by Cam Ranh city and on the west by Diên Khánh District. The city ha ...
,
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, and advanced to the top 10. Stewart became the second consecutive
Miss USA
Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020, ...
, following
Rachel Smith
Rachel Renee Smith (born April 18, 1985) is an American actress, TV host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss USA 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA 2002 pageant. She represented the United States at Mis ...
in 2007, to stumble and fall during the evening gown competition. After that, she encouraged the audience to applaud by clapping her hands. Unlike Smith, Stewart did not advance to the top five, finishing eighth overall.
In 2020, Stewart became the national director of
Miss USA
Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020, ...
and
Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant formerly run, since 1983, by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. Unlike its sister pageants Miss Universe, which currently broadcasts on Fox and Miss USA, this pageant is webcast on the M ...
, splitting the pageants into a new independent organization away from the
Miss Universe Organization
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Str ...
. In October 2022, Stewart and her company Miss Brand Corporation were suspended from their roles in organizing pageants after numerous allegations of rigging were leveled by former contestants.
Hosting
Stewart hosted the
Miss Teen USA 2009
Miss Teen USA 2009, the 27th Miss Teen USA pageant, was held at the Imperial Ballroom, Atlantis Paradise Island, in Nassau, The Bahamas on July 31, 2009. For the first time since 1986, the Miss Teen USA pageant was held earlier than the Miss U ...
competition on July 31, 2009, along with
Seth Goldman. On July 24, 2010, Goldman and Stewart once again hosted the
Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant formerly run, since 1983, by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. Unlike its sister pageants Miss Universe, which currently broadcasts on Fox and Miss USA, this pageant is webcast on the M ...
pageant.
Stewart also co-hosted multiple
Miss Texas USA
The Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. This pageant is part of the Miss USA Organization, owned by Texas native C ...
pageants including some with her Belgian-born husband, model (married August 9, 2014), and she also co-hosted with Jason Feinberg.
Stewart served as a finals judge at the
Miss USA 2016
Miss USA 2016 was the 65th Miss USA pageant. It was held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 5, 2016. Terrence J and Julianne Hough all hosted for the first time, while Ashley Graham served as the backstage host. All fifty states ...
pageant on June 5, 2016, in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
.
Acting
In 2011, Stewart made her acting debut appearing in an episode of the
Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmma ...
sitcom ''
House of Payne
''House of Payne'' is an American sitcom television series created and produced by Tyler Perry that premiered in syndication on June 21, 2006.
The series revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta led by patriarc ...
''. That same year, Perry cast her as a series lead in the TBS/OWN comedy-drama series ''
For Better or Worse'' playing the role of Leslie Morris for its six-season run.
In 2012, Perry cast Stewart in her first film, playing the role of a secretary in Perry's film ''
Good Deeds''. In 2017, Perry again hired her, casting her as a series regular in the short-lived TLC drama series ''
Too Close to Home''.
In 2018, Perry again cast Stewart in one of his films, this time a main role in his thriller film ''
Acrimony
Acrimony may refer to:
* a feeling of hatred
* Acrimony (band), a rock band
* ''Acrimony'' (film), a 2018 film
See also
* Agrimony, a plant
* ''Acremonium
''Acremonium'' is a genus of fungi in the family Hypocreaceae. It used to be known a ...
''.
In addition to all her roles in Tyler Perry productions, Stewart appeared in one episode of the television series ''
The Exes
''The Exes'' is an American sitcom starring Donald Faison, Wayne Knight, Kristen Johnston, David Alan Basche, and Kelly Stables. It debuted on TV Land on November 30, 2011, airing on Wednesday nights at 10:30 p.m. The series was created by ...
''.
Filmography
References
External links
*
Miss Texas USA official websiteCrystle Stewart's modeling agency portfolio site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Crystle
1981 births
Living people
Miss USA 2008 delegates
Miss USA winners
Miss Universe 2008 contestants
African-American female models
African-American actresses
American actresses
American female models
People from Houston
University of Houston alumni
African-American beauty pageant winners
21st-century African-American women
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women