History-Making Beauty Queen Left Behind Revealing Manuscript
Cheslie Kryst, the trailblazing former Miss USA who took her own life at age 30 in January 2022, was working on a memoir prior to her tragic death exploring her private struggles with depression. Kryst made history as the oldest woman ever crowned Miss USA in 2019 at age 28.
While the public saw her successful persona competing in pageants, working as an attorney, and correspondent for Extra TV, behind the scenes Kryst was battling intense inner pain.
She first announced plans to publish a book sharing her personal story in 2021. Now nearly two years after her shocking suicide, Kryst’s dreams of authorship will be fully realized posthumously.
Mother Fulfills Daughter’s Final Wish For Book Release
Scheduled for release on April 23rd, “By The Time You Read This: The Space Between Cheslie Kryst’s Smile and Mental Illness” is being published by Forefront Books with the assistance of Kryst’s mother, April Simpkins. Getting her daughter’s manuscript out into the world was one of Kryst’s final wishes conveyed to her mother.
“These are her own words…For most people who saw her on TV or at events, she was smiling and bubbly and happy, and that was her true self,” Simpkins shared with Extra TV, where Kryst worked.
“But there was still a lot of pain that she felt.” The book promises to illuminate the disconnect between the beauty queen’s public persona and private torment.
Late Star’s Candid Account Aims To Support Mental Health
The first half of the book was penned by Kryst herself, chronicling her achievements as well as candid details about living with depression. Her mother Simpkins then continued the manuscript, recounting the tragic day of Kryst’s suicide and its aftermath.
While the account will likely prove difficult for fans, the women’s advocacy and honesty around issues of mental illness could help support others struggling silently.
As Kryst’s mother emphasized, “I do feel the book stands right between that place of what people saw in her smile, and her private battle with depression.”
Proceeds from the book will benefit the Cheslie C. Kryst Foundation, making the project not just a memorial but an instrument to help destigmatize mental health challenges that impact countless families.
Bittersweetly, the courageous former Miss USA is still making a difference even after death through opening up about the true gaps between public glory and private pain.
