Elle Smith Miss USA 2021: Age, Partner, and Trump Legacy

There’s a particular kind of surprise when a local TV reporter swaps a newsroom for a tiara — and Elle Smith made that leap in 2021, winning Miss USA while still working at WHAS11 in Louisville. This article traces her path from Springfield, Ohio, to the Miss Universe stage, separates verified facts from speculation, and looks at the pageant empire that Donald Trump once owned, so you’ll know which parts of her story are solid and which rumors still lack evidence.

Born: June 20, 1998 ·
Age: 26 (as of 2024) ·
Height: 5’10” ·
Title: Miss USA 2021 ·
Miss Universe: Top 10 (2021) ·
Occupation: Model, Actress

Nine facts, one pattern: Smith’s background is closer to a local journalist’s resume than a pageant veteran’s — she had never competed before 2021.

Who is Elle Smith?

How old is Elle Smith?

Smith was born on June 20, 1998, making her 26 as of 2024. IMDb and the broader pageant record use the June 20 date (IMDb (industry filmography database)).

Early life and education

• Born June 20, 1998, in Springfield, Ohio (WHIO (Ohio regional broadcaster))
• Graduated from Shawnee High School in 2016 ((Seventeen))
• Earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Kentucky in 2020, with a minor in political science ((Seventeen))

Before the crown, Smith worked as a reporter for WHAS11 in Louisville (The Courier Journal (Louisville news)), joining the station in October 2020 ((Seventeen)). She also served as vice president of the University of Kentucky’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists ((Seventeen)).

That background is not decorative. Pageant interview is essentially live journalism — and Smith had been doing the preparation version of it for a living.

Modeling career

• Modeling portfolio represented by The Source Models
• Appeared in the music video for Jack Harlow and Drake’s “Churchill Downs”

Modeling was the side of her profile that connected pageantry to pop culture: the “Churchill Downs” video put her in front of a national audience months before the Miss USA stage.

Acting roles

• IMDb profile documents her public professional record (IMDb (industry filmography database))

Her known public screen appearances are still limited; the pageant title is the kind of calling card that gets auditions read. Acting may develop next, but the verified record is still early-stage.

The pattern: Smith’s pre-pageant life reads like a local newsroom success story, not a beauty-pageant factory product. That’s what made her win feel like a departure.

Was Elle Smith Miss USA?

Miss USA journey

• Won the Miss Kentucky USA title in May 2021 — her first pageant ever (The Courier Journal (Louisville news))
• Crowned Miss USA 2021 on November 29, 2021, in Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Was the third consecutive Black woman to win Miss USA (NNPA (Black press association))

Yes — Smith is Miss USA 2021, plain and simple. She was crowned by Miss USA 2020 Asya Branch ((La Noticia)). The 2021 cycle also reset expectations: Smith had never competed in a local pageant before 2021, so her Kentucky state win was not the work of a seasoned circuit competitor — it was a first attempt.

Miss Universe participation

• Represented the United States at Miss Universe 2021 in Eilat, Israel
• Placed in the Top 10 (University of Kentucky Alumni (official university publication))
• Competition held December 12, 2021 ((La Noticia))

Smith did not win the Miss Universe crown. What she did in her first year of pageantry — a state title, a national title and a Top-10 global finish in a single calendar year — is the kind of arc that pageant veterans spend years chasing.

Has a Miss USA ever won Miss Universe?

• Only one: Olivia Culpo, who won Miss Universe in 2012 (AL.com (Alabama regional news))

That lone success, across decades of pageants, shows how separate the two titles are. Smith’s Top-10 placement at Miss Universe 2021 keeps her in that rare conversation.

The takeaway: Miss USA gets you into the Miss Universe field, but the game itself is a different sport.

Who is Elle Smith’s partner?

Relationship status

• No public record names a partner for Smith
• Her IMDb profile lists no spouse or partner ((IMDb))
• Search interest in “Elle Smith partner 2024” often pairs her name with England footballer Leah Williamson — a connection no reviewed source confirms

The honest answer is an empty bullet point: there is no verified relationship on record. Smith keeps her private life off her public platforms, and none of the tier-1 or tier-2 sources in this article’s research confirms a partner.

Partner details

What this means: treat any named partner as unverified until Smith or a reputable outlet addresses it. The lack of evidence is the evidence.

Why did Donald Trump sell Miss Universe?

Trump’s ownership history

• Trump acquired the Miss Universe Organization in 1996 (Wikipedia (community-maintained encyclopedia))
• He owned the pageant system until 2015 — 19 years in total
• Under Trump, the pageant group ran Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe as one branded television property

The same organization that crowned Smith in 2021 had, for nearly two decades, carried Trump’s name. By the time Smith won, that link had been cut.

Reasons for sale

• The 2015 sale followed controversial remarks Trump made during his presidential campaign announcement
• Smith’s pageant run is unrelated to the sale — she won six years after Trump left the organization

Trump sold the Miss Universe Organization to IMG in 2015 (Wikipedia (community-maintained encyclopedia)). The exact internal reasons beyond his public statements remain unclear — this article treats them that way instead of guessing.

Did Melania Trump compete in Miss Universe?

• No. Melania Trump’s pageant title was Miss Slovenia 1992; she never competed in the Miss Universe pageant. The confusion comes from her marriage to Donald Trump, who owned the Miss Universe system when they met ((Wikipedia)).

Who owns Miss Universe after Trump?

• IMG held the organization from 2015 to 2022
• Thailand’s JKN Global Group acquired it in 2022 (Wikipedia (community-maintained encyclopedia))

So the ownership chain is now: Trump (1996–2015) → IMG (2015–2022) → JKN Global Group (2022–present). Smith’s crown was won under IMG-era management — six years after Trump was out of the picture.

The trade-off: Trump’s name still dominates pageant search results, but the business moved on twice. Any article that frames Smith’s win as a “Trump pageant” is operating on outdated context.

Who are some famous celebrities named Elle?

Other famous Elles

• Elle Fanning — actress, known for films including “The Neon Demon”
• Elle Macpherson — supermodel and actress
• Elle King — singer-songwriter, known for “Ex’s & Oh’s”

If you reached this page looking for one of those Elles, that’s a common mix-up. The three have little in common with Smith beyond the first name — which is exactly why search engines keep asking about them side by side.

Why this matters: the “named Elle” confusion is a search-quality problem, not just a trivia note — it’s why a thorough biography has to say who Smith isn’t, as well as who she is.

Key dates in Elle Smith’s story so far

Seven dates, one throughline: a pageant empire changed hands twice while a Kentucky TV reporter grew up, won a crown, and carried that crown to the world stage.

The pattern: Smith’s entire title run happened in a single calendar year — 2021 — inside a pageant ecosystem that had been owned by two different corporations since Trump’s exit.

Confirmed facts vs. what’s still unclear

Why this matters: the distance between those two lists is exactly where low-authority content manufactures biography. If a detail about Smith isn’t on the left, treat it as rumor until a credible source confirms it.

Key voices in the record

“Smith was 23 years old when she won Miss USA 2021.”

AL.com (Alabama regional news, via its Miss USA 2021 coverage)

“Smith placed in the Top 10 at Miss Universe 2021.”

University of Kentucky Alumni (official university publication, via its alumni profile of Smith)

“Smith was the third consecutive Black woman to win Miss USA.”

NNPA (Black press association, via its report on her win)

The pattern: the most authoritative sources agree on the headline facts — a 23-year-old Kentucky reporter won Miss USA 2021, placed Top 10 at Miss Universe, and made history as the third consecutive Black woman to hold the national title.

The bottom line on Elle Smith

Elle Smith’s pageant run is a useful corrective for anyone who thinks the Miss USA circuit only rewards career competitors. She entered her first pageant in May 2021 and won a national crown six months later — because she had trained as a journalist, worked a local news desk and knew how to think on her feet. For young Kentucky broadcasters considering a pageant entry, the lesson is direct: treat the crown as another beat, or stay in the newsroom and let someone else carry the title.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• Elle Smith: Miss USA 2021 – Biography and Trump Legacy
• Elle Smith Biography: Miss USA 2021 Winner’s Age & Career