ST. LOUIS – Former FOX 2 reporter Mikala McGhee left TV this year and took the crown for Miss Missouri USA 2022 during her first pageant. Now she will be representing the state in the Miss USA pageant. You can see the show live from Reno, Nevada on the”FYI” cable channel or Hulu Live TV starting at 7:00 pm central time.
The two-hour event will feature contestant winners from all 50 states. It is hosted by “Access Hollywood” correspondent Zuri Hall.
McGhee is a former basketball player. Her former team, the St. Louis Surge, posted to Facebook, “Wishing our former Surge player Mikala McGhee good luck tonight as she competes in the 71st Annual Miss USA pageant as your Miss Missouri! We are so proud of you and we believe you will bring home the 👑.”
She graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, with an emphasis in public relations, in 2016. She then went on to Florida Gulf Coast University, where she completed her master’s degree in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in law and administration.
In 2019, she started as an intern at KTVI/KPLR as an intern. The next year, she started as a reporter. In early 2022, she decided that it was time for a change.
“It’s been such an unexpected journey. I loved FOX 2. I love you guys. I love our viewers. I love our team and it was really hard to have to take that step away, but this was really on my heart. I felt like it aligned with my values and where I see myself going in my life and what I wanted to do. So, I had to take a chance on myself and thankfully it paid off,” McGhee said earlier this year.
McGhee has said that she plans to get back into television at some point. Her ultimate goal is to be a game show host.