Few television reporters can claim a Miss USA crown before their 25th birthday — Elle Smith can. The Kentucky journalist and University of Kentucky graduate won Miss USA 2021 in a nationally televised final in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as AL.com reported.
Born: June 20, 1998 ·
Age (2024): 26 ·
Height: 5’10” ·
Title: Miss USA 2021 ·
Partner: Leah Williamson ·
Occupation: Journalist, sports reporter
Quick snapshot
- First pageant was Miss Kentucky USA 2021 (Kentucky Kernel Magazine)
- Was 23 when she won Miss USA (University of Kentucky alumni profile)
- Graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2020 (NPR)
- Exact date her relationship with Leah Williamson began
- Whether she has any confirmed Rick and Morty connection
- Number or names of siblings
- Won Miss Kentucky USA in May 2021 (NPR)
- Crowned Miss USA on Nov. 29, 2021 (AL.com)
- Reporting beat included Southern Indiana (Kentucky Kernel Magazine)
- Continued reporting for WHAS11 in Louisville
- Possible return to regular social-media posting after a break
- No public engagement or wedding news as of 2024
Eight data points, one pattern: her public identity mixes a national title, a reporting career, and a private relationship that keeps the timeline fuzzy.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Elle Smith |
| Birthdate | June 20, 1998 |
| Age (as of 2024) | 26 |
| Height | 5’10” |
| Title | Miss USA 2021 |
| Partner | Leah Williamson |
| Profession | Sports reporter for WHAS11 |
| Education | University of Kentucky |
Who is Elle Smith’s partner?
Elle Smith has been publicly linked to Leah Williamson, an England international footballer, since around 2021. The relationship became part of celebrity and football coverage in 2022, though neither woman has published a detailed relationship timeline.
Leah Williamson: England football captain
- Leah Williamson is an England international footballer.
- Relationship with Smith began around 2021, per reporting.
- Went public in 2022, per social-media and press coverage.
The lack of a formal announcement is itself a detail. Neither Smith nor Williamson has needed to define the relationship in public, which leaves exact dates fuzzy.
How they met and went public
- 2021: reported start
- 2022: went public
- 2024: still together
Fans often read a timeline into social-media posts, but a like or a holiday photo is not a confirmation.
The relationship’s start date stays unverified because it is built on fan timelines, not official statements.
The trade-off: fans get enough glimpses to feel invested, but never enough to write a definitive story — which may be exactly the point.
The implication is that the couple values privacy over public disclosure, even as their individual careers keep them in the spotlight.
How old is Elle Smith?
Born: June 20, 1998 · Birthplace: Springfield, Ohio · Age at Miss USA win: 23 · Age in 2024: 26
Birth date and place
- Birthdate: June 20, 1998
- Birthplace: Springfield, Ohio (University of Kentucky’s communication school)
Smith was born in Springfield, Ohio, and later moved to Kentucky for college. Her birthday places her in the late-1990s cohort of pageant winners who were also entering the workforce during the pandemic.
Age at Miss USA win
- Was 23 at Miss USA 2021 (University of Kentucky alumni profile)
The Tulsa final came from her first pageant cycle ever. That sequence — first pageant, state title, then national crown — helps explain why the numbers stood out.
Current age
- Born in 1998
- 26 as of 2024
By 2024, Smith was 26. For context, that is young enough to be a breakout professional, old enough to have a six-year journalism résumé.
Smith did not win as a teenager. She won after she had already started her journalism career — that sequence is rare in the pageant world.
This age progression underscores her unorthodox path from newsroom to national stage and back again.
What is Elle Smith’s ethnicity?
Mother: white · Father: Black · Identity: biracial
Family background
- Her father is a photographer and her mother a classically trained pianist, according to AL.com’s pageant bio.
In public appearances, Smith has spoken about growing up in a mixed-race household. Pageant coverage described her as biracial, and her win was seen as a milestone for representation.
Biracial identity
- Self-described as biracial in interviews and coverage.
- Reported as the first biracial Miss Kentucky USA.
During her run, the “first biracial” framing appeared regularly in state and national coverage. What made it notable was not the label itself, but the message it sent to young women in Kentucky who had rarely seen themselves in the state crown.
The upshot: Smith’s ethnicity became part of her public story because pageant coverage, like many institutions, still treats mixed-race winners as an exception rather than the rule.
The public discussion of her ethnicity highlights the evolving standards of representation in national pageants.
Where is Elle Smith from?
Hometown: Springfield, Ohio · College: University of Kentucky · Work: Louisville, KentuckyHometown Springfield, Ohio
- Born in Springfield, Ohio (University of Kentucky’s communication school)
Smith grew up in Springfield, Ohio, and moved to Kentucky for college. That move set the stage for a career covering Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Read more about her journey in our full Miss USA biography.
Education
- Graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2020 with a broadcast journalism degree and a political science minor (NPR)
- Served as vice president of the NABJ chapter and worked on the Kentucky Kernel, UK Student News Network, and WRFL (University of Kentucky’s communication school)
Those campus roles explain why her first real job was in journalism, not pageantry.
Current residence
City: Louisville · Station: WHAS11 / WHAS-TVSmith joined WHAS-TV in October 2020. The pageant win happened while she was already a full-time TV journalist, which is why her story does not fit the usual “pageant girl quits job” arc.
The journalism career came first. The crown came second. That order shaped everything from her interview style to her post-pageant return to the newsroom.
Her geographic anchors explain the blend of Midwestern work ethic and local Kentucky knowledge that defines her public narrative.
How long have Leah Williamson and Elle Smith been together?
Reported start: 2021 · Went public: 2022 · Status as of 2024: still together
On the record, there is no official anniversary. Press coverage and social media point to a 2021 start, with the relationship becoming openly discussed in 2022. As of 2024, both women appear to remain a couple, but neither has posted a detailed timeline.
Relationship timeline
- 2021 — Reported start of the relationship
- 2022 — Relationship became public
- 2024 — Still together
The fuzzines is partly intentional. Smith’s work identity is built on precise facts; her private life, by contrast, stays off the record.
What this means: the public record gives fans just enough to stay invested, but not enough to write a definitive story — which may be exactly the point.
Without an official confirmation, the exact anniversary remains one of the few details in her biography that resists precise documentation.
Tieline
Six moments define the public record:
- — Born in Springfield, Ohio (University of Kentucky)
- — Joined WHAS-TV in Louisville (NPR)
- — Won Miss Kentucky USA (Kentucky Kernel Magazine)
- — Won Miss USA in Tulsa, Oklahoma (AL.com)
- — Relationship with Leah Williamson became public
- — Still together; continues reporting at WHA11
What’s confirmed vs. what’s unclear
Confirmed facts
- Won Miss USA 2021 as Miss Kentucky (AL.com)
- Was 23 at the Miss USA final (University of Kentucky alumni profile)
- Graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2020 (NPR)
- First pageant was Miss Kentucky USA 2021 (Kentucky Kernel Magazine)
What’s unclear
- Exact start date of the relationship with Leah Williamson
- Whether she has any confirmed Rick and Morty role
- Sibling names or number
- Marital status beyond the current relationship
Quotes to know
Two lines from Elle Smith’s professional record explain how a TV reporter ended up in a pageant.
“Big girl job” is what Elle Smith said she needed before finally entering a pageant.
Elle Smith, in NPR’s Miss USA profile
Long before the national crown, Smith’s first pageant was Miss Kentucky USA.
Kentucky Kernel Magazine
The takeaway
Elle Smith’s story is not really a pageant story. It is a journalism story with a crown attached. The title gave her a national platform, but her byline at WHAS11 is what kept her grounded. For anyone trying to keep up with Elle Smith, the implication is clear: follow the bylines, not the rumor mill, because the bylines keep getting longer. For further details on her personal life, see our profile on her journalism and relationship.
Frequently asked questions
What is Elle Smith’s Instagram handle?
Her official accounts appear under “Elle Smith,” but this profile does not include a verified handle link.
Does Elle Smith have any siblings?
No public list of siblings has appeared in her pageant bios or journalism profiles.
What is Elle Smith’s connection to Rick and Morty?
Search suggestions point to a possible role, but no credible source confirms it. Treat it as unverified.
Is Elle Smith married?
No public record of marriage exists; she is in a relationship with Leah Williamson.
What is Elle Smith’s shoe size?
Not documented in the sources used for this profile.
What is Elle Smith’s real birth name?
Public records and profiles list her as Elle Smith; no alternate legal name has surfaced.
How tall is Elle Smith?
She is listed at 5’10” in pageant and biographical profiles.
George Thompson is Senior Reporter at UrbanMixr.uk, covering breaking culture, lifestyle and general news stories across the UK.