Woman Wins US Beauty Pageant, Then Gets Title Stripped for Racism. Now She Plans to Sue the Organization: ‘My Rights Were Violated’

Brittany Boltinhouse took home the crown as the new Miss North Carolina USA back on June 28. But not long into her reign, the beauty queen was stripped of her title amid allegations of racism tied to her past social media posts. Now, the dethroned beauty queen is seeking to sue the pageant organizers on claims that her “rights were violated.”

Boltinhouse was initially slated to compete at the Miss USA pageant this coming August 27. However, pageant organizers claimed that “recently surfaced information” regarding Boltinhouse prompted them to revoke her title on August 5 and pass it over to the runner-up, Myla Hadley, after careful review.

The organization didn’t specify which information resulted in Boltinhouse’s removal. But a screenshot showing posts from an account under the name “Sosa the Stallion”—believed to be Boltinhouse’s—allegedly mentioning the N-word between 2017 and 2019 circulated on X.

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Reportedly, Boltinhouse will be represented by North Carolina attorney Patrick Mincey, who claimed her character had been smeared throughout this incident. “She’s been called a racist, a homophobe, a transphobe. Those are false slanders and slurs,” the lawyer said. When asked about Boltinhouse’s alleged use of the N-word in the past, Mincey claimed that her posts weren’t racist or evidence of racism.

Boltinhouse and her legal team allege that she has audio recordings to support her claims of being removed by the organization for her conservative views and that they will release them in due time. “The apology is owed to her, and the audio recordings are going to support that,” said Mincey.

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In response, the license holder and producer for North Carolina’s Miss USA pageants Blaize Productions, denied Boltinhouse’s claims that she was removed for her religious and political beliefs. “Contestants and titleholders are not prohibited from holding or expressing personal political or religious beliefs,” the company reportedly said.

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According to Blaize Productions, Boltinhouse was repeatedly informed of concerns regarding her conduct that ultimately led to her removal. “We stand by the process that was followed, the reasons communicated to Ms Boltinhouse, and the decision that was made,” the company said.

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