Carrie Prejean Archive

Caroline Michelle Prejean was born May 13, 1987, in San Diego, California, and was raised by her parents in a strict evangelical Christian household in nearby Vista. A natural beauty, she made a dazzling debut on the pageant scene in 2005 when she was named the first runner-up at the prestigious Miss California Teen USA exhibition. Her strong finish whetted her appetite for further competition and she made headlines again in 2008 when she was named first runner-up at the Miss California USA pageant. Undaunted, she returned the following year and triumphantly won the Miss California USA title, thereby allowing her to compete in the 2009 Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 19, 2009.

Carrie Prejean easily breezed through the first few rounds of the Miss USA pageant and appeared to be the favorite to win the crown before getting tripped up by pageant judge Perez Hilton during the event's final question period. Eschewing the softball questions typical of most pageants, Perez instead asked Prejean whether every U.S. state should legalize same-sex marriage. Prejean replied: "I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what? I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised." Although her answer elicited a positive response from the assembled crowd, it left judges divided and they ultimately decided to award the crown to North Carolina's Kristen Dalton.

Carrie Prejean added more fuel to the fire the following day when she told reporters that she felt as though she had been robbed of her title for expressing her true beliefs. "I feel like I won," she told Access Hollywood. "I feel like I'm the winner. I really do. My [answer] cost me my crown." Her comments angered many members of the liberal media including Perez Hilton himself, who called her a "dumb bitch" in a scorching video blog. She was also publicly denounced by Miss California Co-Chairwoman Shanna Moakler and E! News anchor Giuliana Rancic, who brazenly labeled her an "ignorant disgrace."

Although she was clearly stung by the negative backlash, Carrie Prejean did manage to find a number of prominent supporters. San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom eagerly came to her defense and Miss Universe CEO Donald Trump applauded her for doing a wonderful job, calling Hilton's question "a bit unlucky." She was also approached by the National Organization for Marriage to become a spokeswoman for its campaign promoting traditional marriage.

Just when it appeared as though Carrie Prejean would be able to resume her life, she was involved in another controversy on May 4, 2009, when a topless photo of her appeared on the website TheDirty.com. The photo, which was allegedly taken when she was 17, prompted an immediate investigation by the Miss USA pageant into whether Prejean had violated a contract clause against posing "nude or partially nude." The issue was further complicated when other questionable photos of Prejean also began to surface.

After some careful consideration, Donald Trump announced on May 12, 2009, that Prejean would be allowed to retain her crown. "We are in the 21st century," he said during an official press conference. "We have determined the pictures taken are fine… In some cases the pictures were lovely." Trump went on to defend Prejean's comments about same-sex marriage. "It's the same answer the president of the United States gave; it's the same answer many people gave," Trump said. "She gave an honorable answer; she gave an answer from her heart."

Carrie Prejean is currently enrolled at San Diego Christian College, where she is studying to become a special education teacher.