The singer and actress, 28, was crowned in Orlando on Sept. 7, 2025 after winning at the state level in New York
By: Zoey Lyttle
April 9, 2026
As the 98th woman to hold the title of Miss America, Cassie Donegan isn’t blind to the power and prestige of the title she holds, nor is she immune to the pressure.
After she won her qualifying state pageant in New York, the singer and actress, 28, went on to compete at the national pageant at the Walt Disney Theater in Orlando, Fla. On Sept. 7, 2025, Donegan was crowned Miss America 2026, awarding her with a coveted crown, sash and $50,000 in tuition scholarship money.
In the months since, she’s toured the country, making appearances at events, fulfilling philanthropic commitments and even getting the opportunity to demonstrate her passion and talent as a performer.
Donegan tells PEOPLE that some of her favorite moments of her reign thus far have been at sporting events. She sang the national anthem at the Daytona 500 race, and she “sang spontaneously” with a band at a party during Super Bowl weekend in San Francisco.
Above all else, however, she says it’s been incredible to meet new people, most of whom usually can’t believe they are meeting the winner of such a prominent pageant. “I hear from people all the time, ‘I’ve never met a Miss America before,’ but they forget that I’ve never met them either,” Donegan says. “And for me, that’s just as cool.”
She continues, “Because yes, it is such an iconic brand and I am so honored to get to wear it across my heart. But in the same breath, I am just as intrigued by their stories and the things that make them tick on the flip of them meeting Miss America.”
Not to mention the fact that Donegan has felt that same starstruck feeling of meeting a Miss America titleholder. She’s also been able to form substantial, personal relationships with a number of them, from the 2025 winner Abbie Stockard to beauty queens like Miss America 1969 Judy Ford Nash, whom she met more recently.
“That legacy — they really do bond together and they stand strong together and I’m grateful that they are supporting me,” Donegan says of the Miss America sisterhood. “There is a lot of pressure that comes along with it, but it starts to relieve itself when you realize a lot of it’s being put on by you. It’s not so external, especially when you have the women who did the thing first championing you.”
She emphasizes how helpful “releasing” others’ expectations has lifted a great weight off her. “Every Miss America’s year is so different and they’re framing it off of what they’ve seen before,” says Donegan. “That’s why I always say expectations are something we should try to not have and just allow the greatness of what is going to be to be.”
The career performer credits her experience in the entertainment industry for preparing her for that type of intentional mindset. It’s something she’s already used to, Donegan says. “Live theater is so many variables you cannot control,” she adds. “I don’t really think anything has shocked me or surprised me.”
“I decided from the beginning it was going to be an amazing year because I wanted it to be an amazing year, and I think you roll with the punches, you know what I mean?” she tells PEOPLE. “I mean, yes, some days that pressure does still circle in your head, but I have been very grateful to have so much support throughout every day of this.”
Read the article HERE: https://people.com/miss-
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About Miss America
Miss America’s mission is Empowering Women to Lead with Purpose as the nation’s premier empowerment platform for young women. Founded in 1921, the iconic Miss America program is also America’s largest provider of tuition-only scholarship awards for women, distributing all scholarships through the Miss America’s Scholarship Foundation Inc. a tax-exempt nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.