What Year Was Kenya Moore Crowned Miss USA?
If you're one of Kenya Moore's devoted fans, how did you first find out about the star? Do you watch her on-screen antics as a member of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," or did you catch her as a member of the cast on "The Celebrity Apprentice 7" in 2015? Of course, Kenya has done more than reality TV. There's also a chance you like to check out Kenya's acting work. Maybe you saw her pop up on shows like "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Martin," and "Meet the Browns," per IMDb, as well as movies like 1995's "Waiting to Exhale," and a true classic, 2016's "Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens." However, before each and every one of those gigs, Kenya was doing something slightly different.
If you're unaware, Kenya competed in beauty pageants. And, frankly, she was really good at it. So much so, that she even earned the title of Miss USA. In fact, Kenya once talked about an interaction she had with the star of "Waiting to Exhale," Whitney Houston, telling "Behind the scenes Beauty w/ D.M." that although she was initially "so scared" to meet the legend, she recalled, "When I finally got a chance to meet Whitney, she gave me the biggest hug, she was like, 'We are so proud of you.'" Apparently, the now-late singer was proud that Kenya had won Miss USA.
But when exactly was that? Read on to find that out as well as other intriguing details about the time that Kenya took home the crown.
Winning Miss USA was Kenya Moore's 'greatest accomplishment'
Kenya Moore has clearly done a lot when it comes to her career and that includes winning the title of Miss USA in 1993, according to Bravo. Showing up for the highly competitive pageant as Miss Michigan, Kenya won over both the crowd, the audience at home, and those scoring the event with answers that were seemingly genuine and totally charming.
For instance, when asked what she thought the judges saw in her, she simply admitted, "I think the judges can look into my eyes and see my heart and know that I'm a sincere person." That may have been true as Kenya earned the crown. While talking about what the moment meant to hear during an interview with the "Steve TV Show," Kenya explained that she still considers it to be her "greatest accomplishment." She also noted that was due to the fact that she was only the second Black woman to win the competition.
Because of that and beyond that, Kenya told "Behind the scenes Beauty w/ D.M." that she hopes that she both inspired others and "opened doors" by winning Miss USA. That may be the case as she later celebrated a historic moment that she may have paved the way toward.
Kenya Moore celebrated a historical moment in beauty pageants
When Kenya Moore became Miss USA, she made history as the second Black woman to wear the coveted crown, as she noted while talking to Steve Harvey. Not only realizing how significant that was but also experiencing it herself may have been why Kenya felt so strongly about another historical moment related to beauty pageants.
"For the first time in history the titleholders of the most prestigious beauty pageants in the world are all BLACK WOMEN," Kenya wrote while taking to Instagram in December 2019. BET notes that she was referring to Miss Teen USA 2019 Kaliegh Garris, Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst, Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin, and Miss World 2019 Toni-Ann Singh, as well as Miss International Queen 2019 Jazell Barbie Royale and Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi.
Kenya also noted that "we cannot be or exist without recognizing the women who opened those doors for us to come after." That's why she listed the names of Janelle Commissiong, who was the first Black woman to win Miss Universe in 1977, Vanessa Williams who became the first Black woman to win Miss America in 1984, and Carole Gist, who came before Kenya herself in the Miss USA pageant and was the first Black woman to win the crown in 1990. Kenya ended her message by writing, "I'm so very proud to be a part of history and most importantly a part of global recognition the Black is indeed Beautiful."