Taryn Delanie Smith (born 3 January 1997) is an American beauty pageant titleholder and

TikToker TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

. She was crowned Miss New York 2022, and was named first runner-up in the

Miss America 2023 Miss America 2023 was the 95th edition of the Miss America pageant, which occurred at the Mohegan Sun on December 16, 2022. The 2023 calendar year, based on several sources, may be the final year at Mohegan Sun. Rather than being aired on mains ...

competition.

Early life and education

Smith was raised in Seattle, Washington, where she experienced

housing insecurity Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether it ...

as a child. She attended

St. John's University St John's University may refer to: *St. John's University (New York City) **St. John's University School of Law **St. John's University (Italy) - Overseas Campus *College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, St. Joseph, Minnesota and Col ...

, where she earned a Bachelor's in

communication studies Communication studies or communication science is an academic discipline that deals with processes of human communication and behavior, patterns of communication in interpersonal relationships, social interactions and communication in differen ...

and a Master's in International Communication & Intercultural Studies. She worked as a receptionist at a

call center A call centre ( Commonwealth spelling) or call center (American spelling; see spelling differences) is a managed capability that can be centralised or remote that is used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of enquiries by telephone. ...

to finance her education.

Pageants

Smith was first inspired to participate in pageants during a talent show in high school, when one of her teachers suggested she compete for

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

. She began competing at age 17, and placed as a runner-up for the

Miss Washington The Miss Washington competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Washington in the Miss America pageant. Regan Gallo of Pierce County was crowned Miss Washington 2022 on July 2, 2022, at Highline Performing Arts ...

title in 2017. Smith was named Miss New York 2022. She was the first Black Miss New York to be crowned while wearing her natural hair. For her advocacy work in the role, Smith focused on initiatives to assist those experiencing

homelessness Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

. She was the first runner-up in the Miss America competition in December 2022.

Online presence

Smith began posting on TikTok in 2021. In March 2023 Smith posted a video where she played Denise, a receptionist in

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

, which quickly went viral. She continued to focus on sketches about Denise and her job. she had gained 1.2 million followers.

Personal life

Smith lives in New York City.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Taryn Delanie American TikTokers Miss America 2010s delegates Comedians from New York City 21st-century African-American women 21st-century American comedians African-American female comedians American women comedians Comedians from Seattle St. John's University (New York City) alumni Miss New York winners Living people 1997 births