Susie Castillo

Susie Castillo is an American actress, television host, model, and beauty pageant titleholder born on October 27, 1979. She is best known for winning the Miss USA 2003 title, hosting shows such as MTV's Total Request Live, and portraying Principal Ramirez in the Nickelodeon live-action television series The Really Loud House.

Castillo was born in Methuen, Massachusetts, to a Dominican father and a Puerto Rican mother. After her parents divorced, her mother raised the family in Lawrence, Massachusetts. By age 16, Castillo was working as a professional model in teen magazines and commercials. Following her graduation from Methuen High School, she attended Endicott College, where she joined the Kappa Delta sorority and earned a bachelor's degree in Interior Architecture and Design in 2001, receiving the Capstone Award for her senior thesis.

Castillo began her pageantry career by winning Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 1998 in November 1997. She competed at the Miss Teen USA pageant in August 1998, where she won the Clairol Herbal Essence Award and placed 13th overall. In November 2002, she won Miss Massachusetts USA, becoming the state's first Latina titleholder. On March 24, 2003, she was crowned Miss USA 2003 in San Antonio, becoming Massachusetts' second winner and the first woman of Dominican ancestry to claim the title.

As Miss USA, Castillo represented the Miss Universe Organization and participated in charitable appearances throughout the United States. She represented the country at the Miss Universe 2003 pageant in Panama City, where she wore a Wonder Woman national costume and finished as a semifinalist in 13th place overall. She later co-hosted the Miss Teen USA 2005 pageant alongside actor Galen Gering.

Castillo transitioned into television media as an MTV VJ and host of Total Request Live, and she helped launch Mi TRL on MTV Tr3s in September 2006. Her television acting and guest appearances include My Wife and Kids, Half & Half, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, and the 2011 film A Holiday Engagement. She also served as a host for television projects such as America's Prom Queen, Superstars of Dance, Arthur Ashe Kids' Day, and School Pride.

In her modeling career, Castillo became a spokeswoman for Neutrogena in 2007, serving as a virtual host for its promotional website. She also worked as a brand ambassador for retailer Charlotte Russe and partnered with stylist Eric Daman to design a line influenced by her Latino heritage. Starting in 2013, she appeared as hand model Becky in Palmolive Soft Touch dish soap commercials.

On October 7, 2006, Castillo married Matthew Leslie. Outside of her entertainment career, she has volunteered for organizations including Help for Abused Women and Children, the Lawrence Girls Club, and Latinas Against Sexual Assault. A vegan, she posed for a PETA anti-fur campaign, and in 2011 she publicly advocated against Transportation Security Administration enhanced pat-down procedures. Castillo was diagnosed with endometriosis, which affected her anti-Müllerian hormone levels and fertility.