Shanna Lynn Moakler ( ; born March 28, 1975) is an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. After winner Chelsi Smith won the Miss Universe 1995 pageant, Moakler succeeded her as Miss USA.
Moakler eventually branched out into an acting career, appearing as a regular for two seasons on the USA Network television series Pacific Blue in 1998, and in 2005 she starred as herself on the reality television series Meet the Barkers with her then-husband Travis Barker, drummer in the rock band Blink-182. She hosted E!'s Bridalplasty during its two-month run in 2010/2011. In January 2014, it was announced that Moakler had joined the cast of the VH1 reality series, Hollywood Exes.
Moakler has served as the executive producer of the Miss Nevada USA state pageant since 2012, after joining as a director in 2011, and acquired the Miss Utah USA franchise in 2018.
Early life
Moakler, who is of German, Irish, Portuguese, and Polish descent, She has two older brothers and had an older sister, who died in 2012. As a child, Moakler enjoyed weekend visits to her grandfather's farm, where she could "play outdoors and be a tomboy." She attended Barrington High School, where she claims to have been "the biggest dork." According to Moakler, she was and until she finally hit puberty at age 17. Moakler won the Miss Teen All American title for 1993.
In 1995, Moakler was named Miss New York USA and represented New York in the Miss USA pageant, held that year in South Padre Island, Texas. Moakler finished second (to Miss Texas USA) in the preliminaries and in each of the interview and swimsuit divisions, with scores of 9.06, 9.62 and 9.61 respectively, and first in the evening gown competition, with a score of 9.86. Overall, Moakler was the first runner-up in the Miss USA Pageant. Following allegations that reigning Miss California USA Carrie Prejean had posed for risqué photos and violated terms of her contract, Donald Trump decided that there had been no breach and therefore declined to strip Prejean of her crown. Moakler then resigned as co-director for the pageant on May 13, 2009, stating "I cannot with a clear conscience move forward supporting and promoting the Miss Universe Organization when I no longer believe in it, or the contracts I signed committing myself as a youth." However, on November 13, 2009, it was announced that Moakler returned to the Miss California USA organization, around the same time Carrie Prejean was dethroned.
In 2008, Moakler made a pro-vegetarianism ad for PETA and in 2013 she posed nude for a PETA anti-fur ad campaign, stating that as long as she is the director of Miss Nevada, fur coats would not be given as prizes.