Crystle Stewart
Stewart in 2014
Born
Crystle Danae Stewart

(1981-09-20) September 20, 1981
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Other namesCrystle Stewart Sebrechts
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[1]
Spouse
Max Sebrechts
​
(m. 2014)​
Children2
Beauty pageant titleholder
Title
Major
competition(s)

Crystle Danae Stewart (born September 20, 1981) is an American actress, tv host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2008. Stewart's acting career began in 2011, when she played real estate agent Leslie Morris on the OWN/TBS comedy-drama television series For Better or Worse until 2017. In 2018 she appeared in Acrimony. From 2020 until 2023, Stewart was the national director of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. She was suspended from the position following allegations of favoritism, results rigging at Miss USA 2022 and sexual harassment at Miss USA 2021, and officially stepped down in August 2023.

Life and career

Early life

Crystle Danae Stewart was born September 20, 1981, in Houston, Texas, to Robert and Cynthia Franklin Stewart.[2] She married Belgian model Max Sebrechts in August 2014.[3] They have two children.

Pageantry

Stewart won the Miss Texas USA 2008 title in a state pageant held in Laredo, Texas on July 1, 2007, after competing against 121 other contestants.[4][5] She represented Texas in the Miss USA 2008 pageant held in April 2008. Stewart graduated from Elkins High School in Missouri City, and graduated from the University of Houston in 2007. Additionally, Stewart graduated from Barbizon Modeling and Acting School in Houston.[6]

Stewart appearing with Miss Teen USA Stevi Perry at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, September 2008

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 at Miss Texas USA 2005.[7] The following year, she competed in the Miss Houston local pageant and placed first runner-up to Lauren Lanning. She competed at Miss Texas USA 2006 as Miss Harris County, and placed first runner-up to Lanning for the second time.[8] 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).[9][10]

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 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 pageant where she became the ninth Texan to win the Miss USA title.[11] 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 dinner.

Stewart holds a degree in consumer science and merchandising from the University of Houston.[12] Stewart is represented as a model by Neal Hamil Agency in Houston.[13]

Stewart, with other Miss Universe contestants, tours USNS Mercy off the coast of Vietnam

On July 13, 2008, Stewart represented the US at the Miss Universe pageant Nha Trang, Vietnam, and advanced to the top 10. Stewart became the second consecutive Miss USA, following Rachel Smith in 2007, to stumble and fall during the evening gown competition. After that, she encouraged the audience to applaud by clapping her hands.[14] Unlike Smith, Stewart did not advance to the top five,[15] finishing eighth overall.

In 2020, Stewart became the national director of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, splitting the pageants into a new independent organization away from the Miss Universe Organization.[16] In October 2022, Stewart and her company Miss Brand Corporation were suspended from their roles in organizing pageants after numerous allegations of favoritism, results rigging, and sexual harassment were leveled by former contestants.[17][18][19] She officially stepped down from the position in August 2023.[20]

Hosting

Stewart hosted the Miss Teen USA 2009 competition on July 31, 2009, along with Seth Goldman. On July 24, 2010, Goldman and Stewart once again hosted the Miss Teen USA pageant.

Stewart also co-hosted multiple Miss Texas USA pageants including some with her Belgian-born husband, model Max Sebrechts (married August 9, 2014),[21] and she also co-hosted with Jason Feinberg.[22]

Stewart served as a finals judge at the Miss USA 2016 pageant on June 5, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada.[23]

Acting

In 2011, Stewart made her acting debut appearing in an episode of the sitcom House of Payne. 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 Good Deeds. Again in 2017, cast her as a series regular in the short-lived TLC drama series Too Close to Home.[24] In 2018, she was cast in Perry's thriller Acrimony.[25]

In addition to her roles in Tyler Perry productions, Stewart appeared in one episode of the television series The Exes.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2008 Days of Our Lives Cameo - Herself one episode
2011 House of Payne Vanessa episode "Payneful Visit"
2011–2017 For Better or Worse Leslie Morris Main cast
2012 Good Deeds Secretary
2014 The Exes Donna episode "Nothing in Common"
2017 Too Close to Home Frankie Main cast
2018 Acrimony[26] Diana Wells

References

  1. ↑ "Neal Hamil Modeling Agency". 14 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "Texas Birth Index, 1903–1997". Ancestry.com. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
  3. ↑ Napoli, Daniela Sternitzky-Di (2014-08-07). "Former Miss USA Crystle Stewart marries model Max Sebrechts". Chron. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  4. ↑ "Miss Fort Bend County takes Miss Texas title". Houston Chronicle. Associated Press. 2007-07-01.
  5. ↑ "Miss Fort Bend County wins Miss Texas USA". Houston Chronicle. 2007-07-02.
  6. ↑ "Barbizon Modeling and Acting School Alumni". www.barbizonmodeling.com.
  7. ↑ "Miss Central Plains named Miss Texas USA". 2004-06-28.
  8. ↑ "Lanning wins Miss Texas USA title". Associated Press. 2006-06-27.
  9. ↑ Maines, Don (2006-06-15). "3 area women compete in pageant / Miss Texas-USA to be selected on June 25". Houston Chronicle.
  10. ↑ "Miss Houston named Miss Texas USA". Associated Press. 2006-06-26.
  11. ↑ Ignacio Salazar (2008-04-14). "UH's Crystle Stewart wins Miss USA". houstonist.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  12. ↑ "True Beauty" by Trevor N. Mitchell. Houston Alumline, Spring 2008.
  13. ↑ "Friday's Fabulous Flicks". The Black Socialite. 2009-03-13.
  14. ↑ "Miss USA takes a tumble". BBC News (Video). 2008-07-14. Archived from the original on 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  15. ↑ "Miss USA falls down during Miss Universe competition - USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com.
  16. ↑ Brantley-Jones, Kiara (December 30, 2020). "Exclusive: Crystle Stewart takes on a new leadership role for Miss USA, Miss Teen USA". Good Morning America.
  17. ↑ Musa, Amanda; Henderson, Jennifer (2022-10-27). "Miss USA program under investigation after contestants claim pageant was rigged". CNN. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  18. ↑ Kato, Brooke (October 20, 2022). "Ex-Miss USA exec sent contestants 'unwanted' explicit sexual messages as organizers accused of rigging pageant". The New York Post.
  19. ↑ Parker, Ashley Jo (October 30, 2022). "Big Brother's Taylor Hale Accuses Former Miss USA Vice President of Sexual Harassment". E!.
  20. ↑ "Laylah Rose Acquires Miss USA Organization Franchise After Investigation of Rigging Allegations Concluded as 'False'". wwd.com. 2 August 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  21. ↑ Napoli, Daniela Sternitzky-Di (August 7, 2014). "Former Miss USA Crystle Stewart marries model Max Sebrechts". Houston Chronicle.
  22. ↑ "Miss Central Laredo USA, Ana Rodriguez Wins the MISS TEXAS USA Crown". Archived from the original on April 25, 2009.
  23. ↑ "Talent Announcement" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-06-25. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  24. ↑ "Tyler Perry's 'Too Close To Home' Season 2 Gets Midseason Premiere Date On TLC". November 16, 2016.
  25. ↑ "'Tyler Perry's Acrimony' Film Review: Taraji P. Henson Is Furious, But Is She Right?". March 30, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Texan Takes Miss USA Crown in Las Vegas". The Washington Post. 2008-04-12. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
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