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- Brittany Boltinhouse said her Christian conservative beliefs cost her the title.
- Miss North Carolina USA license holder denied the decision was politically motivated.
- Boltinhouse said she felt she was being unfairly judged for her past.
The former Miss North Carolina USA believes she was stripped of her title because of her religious beliefs and political stances, she said in a Friday interview.
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Brittany Boltinhouse, of the eastern North Carolina town of Beulaville, became the third Latina and first Honduran woman to win Miss North Carolina USA at its June competition. But Miss USA CEO Thom Brodeur wrote in a statement Wednesday night that she would no longer wear the crown upon the organization learning of conduct “over an extended period of time,” The News & Observer reported.
Brodeur did not explain how Boltinhouse violated Miss North Carolina USA policies but wrote that the organization “does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia nor language that strips any person of their dignity — no matter who they are.”
Boltinhouse: ‘Every teenager has made a mistake’
In a Friday interview with the right-leaning Carolina Journal, Boltinhouse said she was limited in what she could say because of a “confidentiality clause,” but said she believed her “belief system as a Christian conservative woman” was responsible for Miss USA stripping her of the title.
Boltinhouse said she did not want to diminish Miss USA or the state directors as she had a “great experience” with them. She’s new to pageantry — she decided to start competing in December 2025 because she wanted to “do something for myself” having dedicated her life to her career. She called pageantry one of the biggest blessings of her life.
“And I just feel like it went from a dream to a nightmare,” Boltinhouse said. “Really fast.”
Carolina Journal Editor-in-Chief Donna King asked Boltinhouse how the Miss USA organization handled the controversy. Boltinhouse said multiple times she couldn’t say or didn’t know, citing the confidentiality clause and suggesting the decision-making process was unclear to her.
King also referenced Boltinhouse’s “strong political beliefs online” and asked about her old social media posts but did not say what the posts said. Boltinhouse did not confirm she had a controversial online history — only referring to it as online “speculation” — but said she was being unfairly judged for her past.
“Every teenager has made a mistake,” Boltinhouse said. “Every person here has made a mistake. But I’m not really here to talk about that. I’m here to talk about the woman I am today.”
While Boltinhouse did not discuss any specific allegations against her, she defended her integrity, citing her “Miss Congeniality” award at the June pageant. Boltinhouse won that award, she said, because she has good character.
“I believe I’ve been judged and interpreted with this narrative that is just not true,” Boltinhouse said.
Miss NC USA license holder denies decision was politically motivated
In a Saturday morning statement to The N&O, A Blaize Productions, the license holder for Miss North Carolina USA, denied that the decision to strip Boltinhouse of the title was based on her “political views, religious beliefs, or protected personal viewpoints.”
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“The decision followed a careful review of the totality of information that came to our attention, including previously undisclosed conduct and public content spanning multiple years that was inconsistent with the standards and responsibilities expected of a Miss North Carolina USA titleholder under the agreements governing the position,” A Blaize Productions wrote.
A Blaize Productions did not say how Boltinhouse violated Miss North Carolina USA standards, adding that it did not want to discuss confidential personnel or contractual matters further.
But the decision to replace Boltinhouse was “extraordinarily difficult” and the reasons for doing so “were clearly shared and expressed to [Boltinhouse] prior to the official announcement,” the organization wrote.
The N&O has also reached out to Miss USA to ask for comment on Boltinhouse’s interview and what prompted the decision to replace her. The organization has yet to respond.
Friday’s interview was the first time Boltinhouse addressed the pageant controversy publicly. Brodeur wrote Wednesday that Boltinhouse’s statement would come after his — and that was intentional.
“I have seen Brittany’s statement,” Brodeur wrote Wednesday. “There is ownership, accountability and apology. While it does not undo the harm, and it does not change the outcome, it is the beginning of the only thing that ever repairs harm, which is change.”
The N&O asked Miss USA if Boltinhouse’s Friday comments reflected the statement Brodeur reviewed.
What happens now?
Business broker and herbal medicine company owner Myla Hadley, who finished second at the state pageant in June, accepted the Miss North Carolina USA title in Boltinhouse’s place. Hadley will represent North Carolina in Miami at the Miss USA pageant on Aug. 27.
In a Saturday Instagram post, Hadley wrote that while there were only 11 days until she’d travel to compete, and she “received this crown under unexpected circumstances, I did not begin preparing for it 11 days ago.”
Hadley has competed in pageants since she was 12 years old, she wrote. Hadley wrote that she understood the responsibility of the title and would carry it with “grit and grace.”
“At my core, I’m humble,” Hadley wrote. “I’m [a S]outhern girl who loves her family, her community and her horses. And now, I am also Miss North Carolina USA!”
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