PAGEANT POLITICS

Dethroned Beauty Queen Reveals Why She Thinks She Lost Title

Brittany Boltinhouse, 27, has spoken out after being stripped of her title as Miss North Carolina USA.

Brittany Boltinhouse, 27, who was crowned Miss North Carolina USA 2026 but dethroned weeks later after racist posts resurfaced, has finally opened up about the controversy.

“I’m not allowed to speak about things, but as of today, I believe and think I was stripped from my title because of my political stance and my belief system as a conservative Christian woman,” she told the Carolina Journal, adding that she is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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“I am proud of my faith. I am proud of my standards. I am a proud conservative woman, but a Christian woman. I’m a God-fearing woman.”

A Blaize Productions, the company that produces the Miss North Carolina USA competition, said that the decision “was not based on Brittany Boltinhouse’s political views, religious beliefs, or protected personal viewpoints. Our organization includes people from various backgrounds, political views, personal beliefs and values. We welcome and celebrate that.”

While the official reason for her unseating has not been disclosed, several tweets surfaced last week that she allegedly authored between 2017 and 2019 that used the N-word. The news prompted Miss USA CEO Thom Brodeur to condemn hate speech.

In a statement posted to Instagram he said, “The Miss USA organization does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia, nor language that strips any person of their dignity.”

He added that the conduct was “not a single moment” but rather “reflected conduct over an extended period of time.”

The ex-beauty queen alluded that her past posts were a “mistake”.

“I will say every teenager has made a mistake. 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. Things may happen decades ago, but I am here to talk about the hard-working woman, the woman who was standing there as Miss North Carolina USA. I won fair and square,” she told the editor-in-chief of the local nonprofit outlet.

On Monday, Boltinhouse’s lawyer, Patrick Mincey, spoke publicly, announcing his firm will be conducting a “comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the removal of Brittany’s crown.”

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“That investigation is national in scope, sweeping in reach, and focused on one objective, uncovering and presenting the full truth behind what appears to be another troubling example of cancel culture directed at a young woman because of her deeply held religious convictions and publicly expressed political beliefs,” he said in a video.

“Let me be clear. The truth will come out.”

Mincey claims he already has evidence showing that pageant officials lacked any legitimate or legal basis for their decision to strip Boltinhouse of her title.

Upon her coronation, Boltinhouse broke ground as both the first married woman and the first Honduran woman to be named Miss North Carolina USA.

Myla Hadley, 24, the first runner-up, will represent North Carolina in the Miss USA 2026 pageant in Miami later this month.

“I understand the seriousness and level of prestige that this title carries, and I can confidently say that both my team and I are ready to take this on,” Hadley wrote on Instagram.

“Even if you’re not conservative… you have the right to speak the way you feel no matter what platform, no matter what belief system you have. We live in a country that we have that ability, and I think that’s beautiful, and I utilize it every single day, and you have the right to,” Boltinhouse concluded.

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Lauren HartleyBreaking News Intern

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