Olivia Culpo

Early life and education

Olivia Frances Culpo was born on May 8, 1992, in Cranston, Rhode Island, to Susan and Peter Culpo. She is the third eldest of five siblings. She grew up in Cranston's Edgewood neighborhood and is of Italian descent with some Irish ancestry on her mother's side.

Culpo graduated from St. Mary Academy – Bay View and attended Boston University but did not graduate. She began studying the cello in second grade and played in the Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble, the Bay View Orchestra, and the Rhode Island All-State Orchestra. She attended the Brevard Music Center, in Brevard, North Carolina, for two summers, and has performed with the Boston Accompanietta.

Career

Pageantry

After winning the 2012 Miss Rhode Island USA competition, the first pageant she entered, she went on to win the Miss USA pageant on June 3, 2012.

On July 6, 2012, the city of Cranston held a homecoming celebration for Culpo for her pageant win. At an outdoor ceremony at Cranston City Hall, Mayor Allan Fung presented Culpo with the key to the city.

Culpo represented the United States and won Miss Universe 2012, held on December 19, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her national costume was the Statue of Liberty. She is the eighth representative from the U.S. to win the title and the first since Brook Lee who won Miss Universe 1997. Culpo became the first Rhode Islander to win the title. She succeeded outgoing titleholder Leila Lopes from Angola.

In January 2013, Culpo visited Indonesia for three weeks and helped crown the winner of Puteri Indonesia 2013 on February 1 in Jakarta. She also visited Yogyakarta, Surabaya, and Bali. In Jakarta, Culpo hosted a discussion with young Indonesians for the United Nations Population Fund on HIV and youth prevention at the U.S. Embassy's cultural center of America.

On August 25, 2013, Cranston's city council approved a resolution adding Culpo's name to Albert Avenue, which runs between Broad Street and Narragansett Boulevard in Edgewood.

On September 10, 2013, Culpo participated in the Sherri Hill fashion show held at Trump Tower in New York City.

On November 9, 2013, she crowned Gabriela Isler of Venezuela as her successor. In doing so, she became the third Miss Universe from the U.S. to pass the title to Venezuela, after Shawn Weatherly in 1981 and Chelsi Smith in 1996.

In January 2023, November 2023, and November 2024, Culpo co-hosted the Miss Universe 2022, Miss Universe 2023, and Miss Universe 2024 pageants, respectively.

Outside pageantry

Culpo became a social media personality after gaining a significant following on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. She partnered and collaborated with several beauty and fashion brands, including L'Oréal, Kipling, and Uberliss, as an influencer. Culpo was featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, appearing on the cover of the 2020 issue alongside Jasmine Sanders and Kate Bock. In 2018 she appeared on the reality television show Model Squad. Culpo had roles in the films The Other Woman, I Feel Pretty, Reprisal, and Venus as a Boy.

In August 2017, Culpo opened a restaurant with her family in Rhode Island.

In 2023, Culpo competed in season nine of The Masked Singer as "UFO", and was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

In 2025, Culpo hosted season one of Next Gen Chef on Netflix.

Personal life

Culpo dated singer Nick Jonas for two years from 2013 to 2015. She has been in a relationship with NFL running back Christian McCaffrey since 2019. They announced their engagement on April 7, 2023, and married on June 29, 2024, in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. On March 10, 2025, Culpo announced she was expecting her first child with McCaffrey. On July 13, 2025, she welcomed a girl named Colette Annalise McCaffrey.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

References

References

1. Kumbarji, Ceylan. (April 22, 2016). "Interview: Olivia Culpo". Taylor Magazine.
2. "Rhode Island – Olivia Culpo". [[Miss Universe Organization]].
3. Pelletier, Jenna. (July 26, 2012). "Miss USA: Crowning achievement for RI-born Culpo: She's now the first Miss Rhode Island to win the Miss USA crown in the event's 61-year history". [[The Providence Journal]].
4. Berger, Rebekah. (June 4, 2012). "Cranston's Culpo Crowned Miss USA". [[WPRO (AM).
5. (June 4, 2012). "Miss USA 2012: Olivia Culpo Crowned, Beats Latina Beauties". [[Fox News Latino]].
6. Fisher, Luchina. (June 4, 2012). "Olivia Culpo: Five Things About Miss USA 2012". [[ABC News (United States).
7. "About Olivia". Miss Rhode Island USA.
8. Naughton, Michael. (June 3, 2012). "Five things to know about Boston University student Olivia Culpo, the new Miss USA". [[Metro (U.S. newspaper).
9. (June 4, 2012). "Miss USA 2012: Miss Rhode Island Olivia Culpo named Miss USA 2012". [[Daily News (New York).
10. Kalunian, Kim. (July 10, 2012). "Miss USA visits her Rhode Island hometown". Cranston Herald.
11. "Olivia Culpo". Miss Universe, L.P..
12. (June 3, 2012). "PAGEANT UPDATES: Miss USA 2012 is Olivia Culpo! ~ Beauty Mania .biz® – Everybody is Born Beautiful!!". Beautymania.biz.
13. Curran, John. (February 13, 2013). "Miss Universe talks HIV prevention in UNFPA youth dialogue". UNFPA Indonesia.
14. (August 26, 2013). "Street to be Named after Cranston's Culpo, Miss Universe". Cranston, Rhode Island Patch.
15. (October 8, 2013). "Miss Universe Olivia Culpo to be charged for violating rules at Taj Mahal". Biharprabha News.
16. (January 4, 2023). "Olivia Culpo, Jeannie Mai Jenkins to Host 71st Miss Universe Telecast (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety Magazine.
17. (November 8, 2023). "Miss Universe 2023: The team who will host the 72nd annual competition". Hola Magazine.
18. Shapiro, Jared. (January 3, 2017). "Model Olivia Culpo on Cyberbullying, Why She Didn't Consider Herself Beautiful, & What She Loves about Miami". Ocean Drive.
19. Strause, Jackie. (June 14, 2015). "Olivia Culpo Sizzles in First Beauty Campaign".
20. (August 31, 2017). "How to Instagram Like Olivia Culpo". [[People (magazine).
21. Simon, Samantha. (September 20, 2018). "Olivia Culpo Has a "Moral Clause" When it Comes to Posting Sponsored Content". [[InStyle]].
22. Hendrix, Kelsey. (January 17, 2018). "Olivia Culpo, Hunter McGrady and Ebonee Davis are Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2018 Rookies".
23. Giunta, Joanna. (July 13, 2020). "Your Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2020 Cover Models Are Kate Bock, Jasmine Sanders and Olivia Culpo".
24. (February 25, 2020). "Olivia Culpo & Ty Hodges Topline 'Venus As A Boy' Indie".
25. Goldstein, Meredith. (August 29, 2017). "Olivia Culpo opens a restaurant in Rhode Island". [[The Boston Globe]].
26. Huff, Lauren. (May 3, 2022). "UFO on shocking Masked Singer panelists with her vocal talent and if she'd ever record an album".
27. Maheshwari, Gouri. (2025-09-17). "Everything to know about Netflix's new series Next Gen Chef — Cast, episode schedule, and more".
28. "Olivia Culpo Reflects on Her Breakup with Nick Jonas: 'I Thought We Were Going to Get Married'".
29. Carlson, Adam. (December 8, 2019). "Olivia Culpo Says Relationship with Panthers Player Christian McCaffrey Is Going 'Really Great'".
30. Phillips, Hedy. (April 7, 2023). "Olivia Culpo and Christian McCaffrey Are Engaged!".
31. Clack, Erin. (June 29, 2024). "Olivia Culpo and Christian McCaffrey Tie the Knot in Rhode Island".
32. (March 10, 2025). "Olivia Culpo Is Pregnant! Actress and Christian McCaffrey Expecting First Baby".
33. (July 13, 2025). "Olivia Culpo and Christian McCaffrey Welcome Their First Baby: 'The Scariest and Most Rewarding of All Experiences'". People Magazine.com.