On January 30, 2021, the world lost a bright soul and the pageant community lost a guiding light and mentor when former Miss USA, Cheslie Kryst, took her own life after suffering from high-functioning depression. The 30-year-old, Cheslie Corrine Kryst, was a pageant queen, social justice activist, attorney, writer, philanthropist, and entertainment news correspondent for EXTRA TV. She was most importantly a daughter, a sister, a mentor, and a friend to many.
Kryst was born on April 28, 1991 in Jackson, Michigan, to April Simpkins and Rodney Kryst. Her family later moved to North Carolina. Growing up, Kryst had a role model in her mother, who was the reigning Mrs. North Carolina United States during Kryst’s childhood, sparking an early interest in pageantry. She graduated from Fort Mill High School in South Carolina where her family eventually moved and went on to graduate cum laude from The University of South Carolina with a degree in Marketing and Human Resource Management. Kryst then graduated with her Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration from Wake Forest University School of Law where she was a Division I track athlete.
Kryst’s passion for social justice was extremely evident in her career as an attorney as she got right to work in North and South Carolina practicing civil litigation at Poyner Spruill LLC, working with clients who were low-level drug offenders, and working with The Buried Alive project to get justice for a client sentenced to life. Her activism only began with law and continued into her pageant career.
She began competing in pageants in high school, winning Miss Freshman at Northwestern High School and Miss Fort Mill years later. Kryst started her journey to the title of Miss North Carolina, placing top ten in her first year, first runner-up in her second year, and winning Miss North Carolina USA 2019 her third time. Kryst was the true definition of tenacity. She went on to represent North Carolina at Miss USA, ultimately winning the title of Miss USA 2019. Her win was a monumental moment in time, for the pageant community and especially for black pageant competitors like myself. For the first time ever, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe were all black women. Women with curly hair, deep skin, and strong minds stood tall holding the most prestigious titles in the world, which was a moment of hope for myself and many other young women as we finally saw ourselves represented in the industry and had more confidence than ever in our ability to reach our goals.
As Miss USA, Kryst not only made her mark in black history, she was also the longest reigning and oldest woman to hold the title in the history of the system, reigning in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and winning at the age cut off of 27. She stood up for meaningful causes during her reign such as, The Black Lives Matter movement, where she marched during the protests in New York City. She volunteered often with Dress for Success serving as an ambassador for a cause she held near to her heart. Her blog, White Collar Glam, which held the purpose of helping women find affordable professional clothing, alongside Dress for Success, were both a testament to her kindness and her efforts to encourage women to be the best version of themselves. Kryst began her role as an Extra TV correspondent during her reign and continued the role through 2022.
Aside from living a life so perfect to others, her mother shared that Kryst hid her own suffering from high-functioning depression from everyone. Her family, friends, colleagues, and mentees remember her as a bright light who never had a complaint or showed any signs of such a tragedy. Those who loved her have shared an outcry of love on social media, calling Kryst “sunshine personified” and some struggling to find the words or means to wrap their heads around the loss of a friend. Celebrities who she called friends like Rachel Lindsay and Gayle King who she called mentor, spoke highly of Kryst and how her energy filled up the room.
The pageant community was tremendously affected by Kryst’s death, sparking a conversation about how the industry can negatively affect queen’s mental health due to the stigma around the topic and the high expectation of perfection in titleholders. Many of Kryst’s pageant sisters mourned her death via social media.
“You took me by surprise Queen. I am not ready for a world you don’t exist in. You made a mark in this World and touched so many lives. We celebrate your life. I love you so, so much my forever friend and forever Miss USA,” Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi wrote.
Cheslie Kryst’s legacy will live on in the hearts of the many people whom she inspired, touched, and helped during her job well done here on earth. Her pageant legacy will live on through the black pageant queens who saw themselves in her and who have a burning fire in their heart to continue the change that she started. Most importantly, her death has began an important conversation about the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide, a stigma that must be replaced with education to end the high rates of suicide in this country.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or dial 911 in case of emergency.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for English, 1-888-628-9454 for Spanish, or Lifeline Crisis Chat
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National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 or text LOVEIS to 22522
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National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or Online Chat
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The Trevor Project’s TrevorLifeline: 1-866-488-7386
Veteran’s Crisis Line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)), then select 1, or Crisis Chat or text: 8388255
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Resources
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