Debbye Turner

Who is Debbye Turner?

Debbye Turner Bell is an American veterinarian, talk show host, former beauty queen and winner of the 1990 Miss America pageant three days before her 24th birthday.

Debbye Turner, raised in Jonesboro, Arkansas, was first runner-up at the Miss Arkansas Pageant, a state preliminary competition for the Miss America program in 1988. In the summer of 1989, she won the Miss Missouri title and went on to win the 1990 Miss America crown. Turner was the third African-American national titleholder and the first, and only Miss Missouri to be crowned Miss America.

Turner earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree from Arkansas State University, and attended the University of Missouri. In 1991, she received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. She became a spokesperson for Purina and pursued a career in veterinary medicine before going into television.

Turner's first hosting job came at St. Louis' NBC affiliate KSDK, on a show called Show Me St. Louis in 1995. Six years later, Turner joined CBS News as a feature correspondent then became their "resident veterinarian" and a fill-in anchor. Turner was also a fill-in anchor on the CBS Morning News. Turner left CBS in 2012. She's currently the host of Arise America, on AriseTV.