Olivia Jordan

{{for|the British wartime interpreter and driver |Olivia Jordan (interpreter)}}

{{Infobox pageant titleholder

| name = Olivia Jordan

| image = Olivia Jordan, 2015 Miss USA, at Operation That’s My Dress.jpg

| caption = Jordan in 2015

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|9|28}}

| birth_place = Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.

| birth_name = Olivia Jordan Thomas

| alma_mater = Boston University (BS)

| occupation = {{hlist|Actress|model|television presenter}}

| spouse = {{marriage|Jay Hector|2019}}

| children = 1

| eye_color = Blue

| height = 5ft 11in{{cite web |title=Olivia Jordan |url=https://www.brinkmodels.com/olivia-jordan |website=Brink Model Management |access-date=October 30, 2023}}

| title = {{ubl|Miss Beverly Hills USA 2013|Miss World America 2013|Miss Oklahoma USA 2015|Miss USA 2015}}

| competitions = {{ubl|Miss California USA 2013|(1st Runner-Up)|Miss World America 2013|(Winner)|Miss World 2013|(Top 20)|Miss Oklahoma USA 2015|(Winner)|Miss USA 2015|(Winner)|Miss Universe 2015|(2nd Runner-Up)}}

}}

Olivia Jordan Thomas (born September 28, 1988) is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder.

She was first runner-up to Miss California USA 2013. She was later appointed as Miss World America 2013 and competed in Miss World 2013, where she finished in the Top 20. Crowned Miss USA 2015 Jordan represented the United States at Miss Universe 2015, and was second runner-up. She is the first & only woman from Oklahoma to be crowned as Miss USA.

Early life and education

Olivia Jordan Thomas was born on September 28, 1988,{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CUXqHp5FHGq/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y|title=Celebrating this birthday with the greatest gift.|publisher=Olivia Jordan|date=September 28, 2021}} to Bob and Jill Thomas and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is a fourth generation Tulsan, and attended Bishop Kelley High School. After graduating, Jordan moved to Boston, Massachusetts to attend Boston University. While a college student, Jordan became SAG-eligible through featured extra work in the movies Ted and Here Comes the Boom. While becoming a SAG member, Jordan learned that someone had already used the name "Olivia Thomas", and began using Jordan as her professional surname. She graduated in May 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in health sciences, and then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in modeling and acting.{{cite web|url=http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/09/27/2714291/miss-world-2013-winner-revealed.html|title=Local News - Columbus Ledger Enquirer|work=ledger-enquirer.com|access-date=January 31, 2015|archive-date=February 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212162650/http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/09/27/2714291/miss-world-2013-winner-revealed.html|url-status=dead}}

Career

=Pageantry=

Jordan represented Beverly Hills in the Miss California USA 2013 on January 13, 2013, where she finished as first runner-up to Miss California USA 2013, Mabelynn Capeluj. Later that year, Jordan was appointed as Miss World America 2013 and competed at Miss World 2013, where she finished in the top 20{{cite web|author=SONYA SORICH|url=http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/09/27/2714291/miss-world-2013-winner-revealed.html|title=Miss World 2013|access-date=October 3, 2013|archive-date=February 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212162650/http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/09/27/2714291/miss-world-2013-winner-revealed.html|url-status=dead}} and was also first runner-up for Top Model.{{cite web|url=http://www.missworld.com/News/2013-09-24/Top-10-Top-Model-Announced/|title=News|work=missworld.com|access-date=January 31, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404130205/http://www.missworld.com/News/2013-09-24/Top-10-Top-Model-Announced/|archive-date=April 4, 2015|url-status=dead}}

On December 21, 2014, Jordan won the title of Miss Oklahoma USA 2015. She later won the title of Miss USA 2015 on July 12, 2015, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, making her the first entrant from Oklahoma to win and the first winner from the South since Kristen Dalton won representing North Carolina in Miss USA 2009.{{cite web|url=http://pageantsnews.com/olivia-jordan-is-miss-usa-2015/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713124144/http://pageantsnews.com/olivia-jordan-is-miss-usa-2015/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 13, 2015|title=Olivia Jordan is Miss USA 2015 |publisher=pageantsnews.com |access-date=July 12, 2015}} Her question as a Miss USA finalist asked who she would choose as an American woman to put on the next new bill design. She named Harriet Tubman.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTkxrLckLn4|title=- YouTube|website=www.youtube.com}} On April 20, 2016, the U.S. Treasury officially announced that it had chosen Tubman to be featured on the new $20 bill.[https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0436.aspx Treasury Secretary Lew Announces Front of New $20 to Feature Harriet Tubman, Lays Out Plans for New $20, $10 and $5 (4/20/2016)] During her reign, Donald Trump sold his stake in the Miss Universe Organization ending his affiliation with the beauty pageant. Jordan represented the United States in the Miss Universe 2015 pageant held on December 20, 2015, where she was named the second runner-up.{{Cite web|title = Miss Universe: Miss Colombia mistakenly crowned as winner|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35149195|website = BBC News|access-date = December 23, 2015|language = en-GB|date = December 21, 2015}} Jordan wore a custom Berta Bridal dress to the evening gown portion of the competition, and was chosen among the top ten dressed in the competition.{{cite web|last1=Norwin|first1=Alyssa|title=Miss Universe 2015: The Top 10 Slay In Gorgeous Evening Gowns|url=http://hollywoodlife.com/2015/12/20/miss-universe-evening-gowns-2015-dresses/|website=Hollywood Life|access-date=May 10, 2016|archive-date=October 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016070407/http://hollywoodlife.com/2015/12/20/miss-universe-evening-gowns-2015-dresses/|url-status=dead}}

Jordan was the third person from the United States to compete at two major international beauty pageants after Brucene Smith, who competed in Miss World 1971 and won Miss International 1974, and Andrea Neu, who previously competed at Miss International 2013 and Miss Earth 2014. However, she had the distinction of being the first woman to represent the United States at two of the largest and oldest international pageants in the world: Miss World and Miss Universe.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

Personal life

In August 2018, Jordan became engaged to British actor Jay Hector, and they later married in November 2019. They have one child.{{cite web|url=https://entertainment.inquirer.net/291203/look-miss-usa-2015-olivia-jordan-engaged-actor-bf|title=LOOK: Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan engaged to actor BF|last=Hallare|first=Katrina|date=August 31, 2018|access-date=August 31, 2018|work=Inquirer.Net}}{{cite web|url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/former-miss-usa-olivia-jordan-marries-jay-hector-this-is-my-person/|title=Former Miss USA Olivia Jordan Marries Actor Jay Hector: 'We're Both Really Ready for This Next Step'|date=November 8, 2019|publisher=Us Weekly|last=Nardino|first=Meredith}}

=Politics=

After finishing her reign as Miss USA 2015, Jordan was vocal about her political beliefs. During the 2016 United States presidential election, Jordan was an outspoken critic of Republican candidate Donald Trump, and supported Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.{{cite web|url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/content/588331/olivia-jordan-says-she-is-hurt-but-not-defeated-by-trump-win/story/|title=Olivia Jordan says she is 'hurt, but not defeated' by Trump win|date=November 10, 2016|publisher=GMA}} Following the 2019 passage of the Human Life Protection Act in Alabama and the Georgia heartbeat bill, Jordan publicly stated that she was molested as a child and raped as a teenager, and since "decisions were made for [her] body without [her] consent", she saw the passage of heartbeat bills as no different from her experience.{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BxqoDmQlitz/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BxqoDmQlitz |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |url-access=registration|title=I was molested as a child and raped as a teenager.|date=May 20, 2019|publisher=Olivia Jordan}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cosmo.ph/entertainment/pia-wurtzbach-miss-usa-olivia-jordan-sexual-assault-revelation-sa662-20190526-src-fn|title=Pia Wurtzbach Reacts To Miss USA Olivia Jordan's Sexual Assault Revelation|date=May 26, 2019|publisher=Cosmopolitan Philippines|last=Owen|first=Charlene J.}}{{cite web|url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2019/05/21/1919716/miss-usa-2015-olivia-jordan-i-was-molested-raped|title=Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan: 'I was molested, raped'|date=May 21, 2019|publisher=Philippine Star|last=Severo|first=Jan Milo}}

Filmography

class="wikitable sortable" \|+Television
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
2023 \| Miss Universe 2022 \| Herself \| Preliminary judge{{Cite web \|date=January 11, 2023 \|title=LOOK: Miss Universe unveils all-female selection committee for 2022 pageant \|url=https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/pageants/miss-universe-unveils-all-female-selection-committee-2022-pageant/ \|access-date=January 13, 2023 \|website=Rappler \|language=en-US}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+Television

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

2023

| Miss Universe 2022

| Herself

| Preliminary judge{{Cite web |date=January 11, 2023 |title=LOOK: Miss Universe unveils all-female selection committee for 2022 pageant |url=https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/pageants/miss-universe-unveils-all-female-selection-committee-2022-pageant/ |access-date=January 13, 2023 |website=Rappler |language=en-US}}

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite news |first=Jimmie |last=Tramel |newspaper=Tulsa World |title=Pop culture: Tulsans know Miss USA by another name |url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/scene/popculture/pop-culture-tulsans-know-miss-usa-by-another-name/article_e1b342dd-6249-5e10-8912-d46caf508ac5.html |date=July 14, 2015 |access-date=July 15, 2015}}

}}