As South African Zozibini Tunzi received the Miss Universe crown on Sunday, she said the moment made her feel "so proud" as she accomplished a long-awaited goal.
"It feels like I'm really doing something I set out to do. I really wanted so badly for young girls and women to look at me and see themselves represented and see their faces represented in mine," Tunzi told Cheddar Thursday.
When she won the crown Sunday night, the 26-year-old said "I grew up in a world where a woman who looks like me — with my kind of skin and my kind of hair — was never considered to be beautiful. I think it is time that stops today. I want children to look at me and see my face, and I want them to see their faces reflected in mine."
A self-described activist, Tunzi said she hopes to continue her work against gender-based violence and in favor of gender equality.
During the competition, Tunzi wore her hair short and natural, which she called "a symbol of my firm belief in fair representation."
This year marks the first time Miss America, Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, and Miss Universe are all black women.
"It's so important for people to see things in order to believe them," she told Cheddar.
Celebrities and excited viewers chimed in online to offer congratulations to the new Miss Universe, including Oprah who tweeted, "Agree with you...leadership is the most powerful thing we should be teaching young women today."
Disney+ will premier a new action-comedy series called 'American Born Chinese' that debuts in May and is based on the novel by Gene Luen Yang. The series creator, Kevin Yu, along with actors Chin Han and Ben Wang joined Cheddar News to discuss how they became involved with the project and what the series brings.
Dylan Sprouse and Virginia Gardner joined Cheddar News to discuss their new movie, 'Beautiful Disaster,' a new romance based on the 2012 New York Times best-selling self-published novel by Jamie McGuire.
Danny Taing, founder and CEO of Bokksu, joined Cheddar News to discuss his path on how he became an entrepreneur to launch a company that delivers artisanal Japanese snacks. "When I moved back from Japan to New York, I had this bit of reverse culture shock ... a lot of people had somewhat of a one-dimensional view of Japan ... they saw this country where people ate sushi every day ... none of that is true," he said.
Carrie Fisher received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday, a May the Fourth tribute to a beloved “Star Wars” actor that had a touch of stardust.
A jury has concluded that British singer Ed Sheeran's hit song “Thinking Out Loud” didn't copy key components of Marvin Gaye's classic tune “Let's Get It On.”
