Charlotte's Miss USA prepares to pass the crown
Plus: Annual pumpkin-lighting in Elizabeth; Charlotte's top news of the week; Don't forget to turn your clocks back tonight
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Q&A: Charlotte lawyer Cheslie Kryst served an unusually long and eventful term as Miss USA. Next stop: TV.
In the last 18 months, Charlotte’s Cheslie Kryst went from uptown attorney and Miss NC USA to the reigning Miss USA and a correspondent for “Extra.” She’ll hand over the Miss USA crown Nov. 9 after an unusually long run as titleholder due to Covid. Here, she interviews Oprah Winfrey pre-pandemic. (Photo courtesy of Cheslie Kryst)
Former Charlotte attorney and current Miss USA Cheslie Kryst was scheduled to hand over her crown and sash to a new winner last May, but not even the fairytale world of pageants could escape Covid’s grasp.
The pandemic forced Kryst, 29, to extend her Miss USA term by six months. She’ll finally turn over the title Nov. 9 at the Miss USA pageant in Memphis, and will transition from pageant queen to a full-time TV personality with entertainment news program “Extra.”
“The day I crown the next Miss USA, I will have been Miss USA for 557 days — not typical, and definitely a little more than the usual 365,” she laughs.
For many who follow her, Kryst, 29, has redefined what a beauty pageant contestant can be. She graduated from Fort Mill High School, earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of South Carolina, a law degree from Wake Forest University and worked in civil litigation at uptown Charlotte’s Poyner Spruill law firm. (While there, one of her clients was 2019’s Miss America, Nia Franklin.)
She’s an avid athlete and also a fashionista, with a fashion blog called White Collar Glam devoted to helping professional women dress well, and is a global impact ambassador with the non-profit Dress for Success.
Kryst made it to the top 10 in the Miss Universe competition last December, and for the last 10 months, she lived with the woman who won Miss Universe, South Africa’s Zozibini Tunzi. (The Miss Universe organization has a Manhattan apartment that Miss Universe and Miss USA share; in a typical year, the two spend more time on the road than together as roommates.)
Kryst and Tunzi two were part of a history-making year in the pageant world: For the first time, the titles of Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss America were all held by black women.
Kryst spoke with The Ledger’s Cristina Bolling by phone from her new apartment in Manhattan, where she’s already working on her next gig: as a full-time New York-based correspondent for Extra, doing celebrity interviews. She talked about being in the national spotlight during the summer of protests for racial justice and police reform, one of her biggest “pinch-me” TV moments, and whether she’ll ever move back to Charlotte.
The interview was edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: Miss USA is typically a role that keeps you on the road constantly. What’s your tenure as Miss USA been like, before and during Covid?
It’s really been quite a whirlwind. Pre-pandemic, it was just utter craziness all the time. I think there was one span of like 36 to 48 hours where I was in three or four different cities. There were a lot of times when I was traveling multiple times in a week, and it was sort of hard to figure out where I was when I woke up each morning.
Then I signed with Extra and started doing work for them in October of last year. That’s when things got even more hectic. So in March, when the pandemic hit, things slowed down a lot at first because people didn’t know how long the pandemic was going to last. In March and April, we were all in a holding pattern where things hadn’t switched over to Zoom, and we were holding our breath and waiting for things to end.
In May, June and July, we were doing Instagram Lives and social media campaigns, creating content for the Miss Universe organization. They started a campaign called #universeunited. We still wanted to be able to connect to people, so we encouraged our followers and viewers on the official Miss USA and Miss Universe platforms to send us what they were doing, whether it was picking up a new hobby or figuring out new at-home workouts. …
I wasn’t doing many interviews with Extra, but since August or September with the new season of Extra and my new contract with them, things have really kicked up. This past weekend, I did a junket on Saturday, a press junket on Sunday, I did a junket and an interview on Monday, a junket and an interview on Tuesday, two interviews yesterday, and today I have an interview that was just scheduled for this afternoon. We just did stand-ups for an hour and a half.
It’s really been hectic. I’m excited about it, because it means I get to do more interviews. I get to watch more (movie) screeners, which is always fun, because I don’t watch many movies, and now it’s my job to watch movies.
Q: What was it like being on the national stage during this summer’s nationwide racial justice protests? I saw that you did a lot on social media around that, including an Instagram video explaining Juneteenth and a photo from a Black Lives Matter rally you attended with Miss Universe, Zozibini Tunzi.
It was so exciting, honestly. There was a time when I was competing at pageants when I wouldn’t talk about Black Lives Matter and I wouldn’t talk about racial issues for fear of making someone feel uncomfortable or awkward. I think many other people of color have felt that way — we can’t talk about race, this is a hot button — it’s an uncomfortable issue for people.
During the time I was competing in pageants, I never would have imagined that a Miss USA would be able to post about Black Lives Matter. It just wasn’t something you would even think about. You wouldn’t say that at a pageant; people would tell you not to. Now when it was happening, oh my God, it was so exciting. Not only was I posting about it on my personal pages, but on the official pages that are run by the organization, they strongly advocated for Black Lives Matter, for social justice, for change in our country and even beyond that.
I did an Instagram Live on the official Miss USA account with Opal Tometi, who was one of the co-founders of Black Lives Matter. When in history would we have been able to do that before? It was exciting for me, because I was like, “Finally, this is our moment! I’ll show you what pageant girls are supposed to do, and this is it!”
Q: Do you miss working as an attorney? And how much have you gotten back to Charlotte this year? Do you imagine you’ll ever move back?
There are some parts (of working as a lawyer) I miss. (Long pause to laugh.) There are other parts of it that I don’t. I am currently in talks with my law firm, Poyner Spruill, to carve out a position where I could continue to talk about diversity in the legal industry and continue to make change in the industry. Hopefully, we’ll have an announcement for that soon. I’m never out of arm’s reach when it comes to Charlotte and the law. It’s something that I dreamed of — I wanted to practice law for the longest time. We’ll see what happens with that.
Since March, I’ve been home twice. Charlotte’s always going to be home. I still plan to buy a place in Charlotte at some point in time. There wouldn’t be a me without the Queen City. I’m not totally gone — I just have a different zip code right now.
Q: Finally, any favorite pinch-me moments in your new Extra job?
There are so many people that I interact with that I just never would have thought I would have had access to. I’m a huge Beyonce fan. I’ve never gotten to interview Beyonce, but when I was covering the Oscars with the rest of the Extra team, Beyonce’s makeup artist, Sir John, did my makeup for the red carpet and they shot it as a segment.
I was like, “The hands that have touched Beyonce’s face have also touched mine!” That for me was a huge moment and that was really exciting. Earlier this summer, I got to interview her mom, Miss Tina Lawson, and she was so, so nice. I’m one degree of separation now.
Today’s supporting sponsor is Soni Brendle:
Fall back: Turn your clocks back an hour tonight … if you still have clocks that don’t adjust automatically. ⏰
PUMPKIN WALL: The annual pumpkin wall in Elizabeth made its debut Friday night. You have through tonight to see it, at 2229 Greenway Ave. (the corner of Laurel and Greenway avenues).
This week in Charlotte: Last-minute campaign visits, elementary schoolers prepare for class, sweeping CMPD changes and a Grammy-winning rapper moves to Troutman
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Politics
Supreme Court upholds absentee ballot ruling: (Observer) In a 5-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to uphold a previous ruling extending the deadline for receiving mail-in ballots to Nov. 12. The ballots must still be marked on or before Nov. 3.
In case you missed it, North Carolina is a swing state: (News and Observer) (WSOC) It’s easy to forget how influential North Carolina is in a general election until politicians become frequent visitors during an election year. Jill Biden, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, hosts a drive-in rally in Charlotte at 1 p.m. today, while Donald Trump heads to Hickory on Sunday and Fayetteville on Monday.
Education
CMS elementary students head back next week: (QC Metro) Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools is set to move ahead with the first phase of its reopening plan, which will see K-5 students return throughout this upcoming week starting Monday.
Barringer Academic Center will be renamed: (WFAE) As part of CMS superintendent Earnest Winston’s initiative to find and remove any school names linked to racial oppression, a search began Wednesday to find a new name for Barringer Academic Center, an elementary school on Charlotte’s west side. Its namesake, Osmond Barringer, was an advocate for segregation in the first half of the 1900s.
McCully is back: (WFAE) CMS announced that former head of student assignments and current chief operating officer of Guilford County Schools, Scott McCully, will return to as the district’s first ever chief compliance officer.
Local news
Sweeping CMPD changes: (Observer) The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department will undergo a drastic overhaul, after city council this week voted to adopt changes to the department following months of intense scrutiny. For several months the city council and community leaders have created a “SAFE Charlotte” report which consists of six main recommendations to make Charlotte a safer city. New protocols will focus on violence prevention, and some responsibilities and funding will be redirected to community-focused programs that look at systemic issues that lead to crime instead of going to the police first.
Homicide numbers continue to climb: (WFAE) Homicide numbers in Charlotte passed a significant milestone after a fatal shooting Wednesday, and the city is expected to have more murders in 2020 than it did in 2019.
Business
Details on Eastland Mall redevelopment: (CBJ) The city of Charlotte was finally given details on a proposed overhaul for the plot of land formerly occupied by Eastland Mall. The project would lead to new restaurants, offices, a park and a Charlotte FC-backed soccer academy. But the headquarters of Charlotte’s pro soccer team, Charlotte FC, will not be there.
New office tower shows South End’s momentum: (Ledger 🔒) A proposed construction project in South End is set to continue full steam ahead, backed by several local investors. The building will sit opposite of LendingTree’s global headquarters.
Northwood buys Metropolitan: (Ledger 🔒) The Metropolitan Midtown complex, a mixed-use development that’s home to Best Buy, Trader Joe’s and other retailers, was sold to Northwood Investors for $92M — less than the purchase price seven years ago.
Sports
Panthers deal with numerous injuries: (Panthers.com) The Carolina Panthers have lost three games in a row as they struggle to compensate for a slew of missing starters, most notably running back Christian McCaffrey. There were hopes McCaffrey would return for Thursday’s game against the Falcons, but he was ultimately held out for the sixth straight week.
No holding back the Mayo Bowl: (Charlotte Sports Foundation) The Duke’s Mayo Bowl will not be cancelled this year. The college football bowl game between the ACC and Big 10 is set to take place Dec. 30 at Bank of America Stadium.
Voter guides
Just a few chances left to cast your ballot:
Final day of early voting is today, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 33 locations across the county.
Election Day is Tuesday, with polls open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Doing last-minute research? We’ve got you covered with a selection of handy guides below.
Charlotte Agenda’s guide is an easy-to-read tour of the races, with context about why they matter.
The Charlotte Observer’s voter guide allows you to type in your address and view your ballot, with links to information about the candidates and races.
Queen City Nerve, Charlotte’s alternative publication, runs down the main races.
WFAE’s guide to important dates, registering, requesting absentee ballots and early voting.
Good reads
The rap star next door: (Ledger) What’s it like in the small town of Troutman, N.C., to live next to Grammy-winning rapper DaBaby? His new digs, with two-story guard towers and stadium lighting, are getting attention in the town. The star, whose real name is Jonathan Kirk, grew up in Charlotte and maintains his roots here through community events.
Welcome to Union County, the secret key to the election: (The Atlantic) Monroe is one of many “countrypolitan” towns, metropolitan areas with strong rural ties. Republicans have carried the area for years in elections, but how long can they stop a growing push for change?
What local bigwigs are donating to presidential campaigns?: (Agenda) Record numbers of local contributions are pouring in for presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden. In Charlotte, Biden is outpacing Trump in terms of financial support from individual donors, writes Agenda’s Katie Peralta. On average, Biden supporters donated over three times more than Trump supporters locally — $661 versus $203, according to the Agenda’s analysis of federal campaign finance data. But as of Oct. 28, Trump had at least 600 more individual donors in Charlotte than Biden did.
Other Ledger originals
People are still nervous about in-person events: (Wednesday 🔒) Once hopeful that the fall would bring some socially distanced events, event planners now say mid-2021 is more realistic. Organizers of corporate events, fundraisers and social gatherings are trying to adapt.
Changes ahead for mayor, city council elections?: (Friday 🔒 ) A citizens’ committee is recommending some big changes for how Charlotte elects its council members and mayor.
—David Griffith
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The Charlotte Ledger is an e-newsletter and website publishing timely, informative, and interesting local business-y news and analysis Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, except holidays and as noted. We strive for fairness and accuracy and will correct all known errors. The content reflects the independent editorial judgment of The Charlotte Ledger. Any advertising, paid marketing, or sponsored content will be clearly labeled.
Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Reporting intern: David Griffith