The newly crowned Miss America criticized a past rule in the competition that prevented contestants from revealing their boyfriends publicly.
Since winning the Miss America title on January 5, Abbie Stockard has been celebrating with her boyfriend, NBA player Walker Kessler. However, their relationship would not have been allowed under the previous “anti-boyfriend” policy.
According to revelations from former winners in the 2023 A&E documentary series Secrets of Miss America, Sam Haskell, the former Miss America CEO, had implemented strict regulations concerning men participating in the contestants’ lives.
“They’re very, very, very anti-boyfriend because they want you to look like you’re America’s sweetheart,” Betty Maxwell, who was crowned Miss America in 2016, said in the doc.
“They’re trying to be feminist and ‘Me Too’ and all these things, and at the same time, they’re not thinking every young 20-something is dating someone? Come on.”
The rule was so strict that former winners even reported their dads were barred from entering their hotel rooms.
“It was made clear that Sam was in charge, and what he said went, and boyfriends were not allowed to exist when you’re Miss America,” Miss America 2018 Savvy Shields Wolfe said in the series.
However, the unofficial policy was relaxed in recent years, which Stockard said has been “amazing” for her relationship with Walker Kessler, who plays for the Utah Jazz.
“I’m so glad that it doesn’t really matter now because it does not affect your job as Miss America at all,” Stockard told Business Insider.
“Having the Miss America team support Walker and our relationship has just made it even more special.”
Stockard reported hearing about women previously refusing to participate in the competition due to the harsh rules.
“I’ve heard stories of girls who just didn’t want to compete because they were in a serious relationship, and they weren’t willing to put that relationship on hold or to hide it throughout their year,” she said.
“But now it’s not like that. They don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
Although married women and moms still can’t compete at Miss America, the rules against boyfriends softened since Robin Fleming became CEO in January 2023.
Stockard said the shift could even be a “good way to boost recruitment.”
The 22-year-old nursing student spoke about her boyfriend’s support throughout the competition – and how he’s even helped promote the organization following her win over the 51 other contestants.
Who is Abbie Stockard?
Alabama cheerleader Abbie Stockard was crowned Miss America 2025 in Orlando, Florida, on January 5.
The beauty queen, 22, is a nursing student in Birmingham, Alabama.
She received the crown from last year’s winner, Madison Marsh.
During the competition, she said she was inspired by her mom, who juggled several jobs, and her best friend, who suffers from cystic fibrosis.
Following her win, Stockard said she felt like the most celebrated girl in the world.
Stockard is dating Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, who celebrated her win with a sweet Instagram post.
She plans to become a pediatric nurse.
“I watched one of his media interviews with the Utah Jazz yesterday, which is always about basketball, and they didn’t ask him one basketball question,” she said.
“It was all about Miss America. He was literally using my talking points. He knows all about it.”
The Utah Jazz center, 23, congratulated Stockard in an Instagram post on January 6, which included a video of his excited reaction to her win.
“Congratulations Abbie,” Kessler wrote in the post.
“I am so proud of you and everything you stand for. Your hard work and trust in the Lord has awarded you with this incredible opportunity!
“Use your light to shine on others around you!”
It’s unclear when the pair started dating, but they first made their relationship Instagram official in January 2024.
