Kryst was born in Jackson, Michigan in 1991 and grew up in South Carolina. Kryst attended the University of South Carolina and in 2017, she graduated Wake Forest University School of Law. She worked as a lawyer at North Carolina firm Poyner Spruill LLP as a civil litigator. She also founded the women’s business apparel blog White Collar Glam.
In 2019, she won the title of Miss North Carolina USA and after being crowned Miss USA 2019, she took a sabbatical from work. In 2020, her firm appointed her its first diversity advisor.
Also in 2019, Kryst began working as a New York correspondent for Extra. “Our hearts are broken,” producers for the show said in a statement posted by its website. “Cheslie was not just a vital part of our show, she was a beloved part of our Extra family and touched the entire staff. Our deepest condolences to all her family and friends.”
—Reporting by Meriam Bouarrouj
