Miss North Carolina USA Producers Respond After Winner Claims She Lost Title Over Faith

Organizers behind the Miss North Carolina USA competition say Brittany Boltinhouse was removed as titleholder because of “the totality of the circumstances” surrounding past comments they deemed objectionable — not because of her conservative politics or Christian faith.

In a statement, A Blaize Productions, the organization that holds the North Carolina state license for the Miss USA pageant, said its 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,” the statement continued.

Boltinhouse, 27, was crowned Miss North Carolina USA in June, but her reign lasted only a matter of weeks after earlier social media posts drew renewed attention. She was officially stripped of the crown this week and has argued that her personal beliefs and past public remarks were at the center of the decision.

Speaking to the Carolina Journal on Friday, Boltinhouse said she believes the loss of her title was tied to her identity as a conservative Christian. “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 said.

“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,” Boltinhouse added.

She also said she has no intention of backing away from her convictions, saying, “I will never let my guard down for my faith, and also I love this country.”

The organization that stripped her of her spokeswoman victory says it was due to her online speech, after old social media posts resurfaced of her repeated use of the N-word.

“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,” the organizers’ statement concluded.

Miss USA President and CEO Thom Brodeur, who lists “he/him” pronouns on his Instagram, had said in a statement earlier this week that the pageant “does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia nor language that strips any person of their dignity,” according to Fox Carolina, saying the objectionable statements “reflected conduct over an extended period of time.”

“A title here isn’t a trinket,” he told ABC News. “It is a position of trust, extended by an organization and accepted by a woman who agrees to carry a standard in public,” he added. “When that standard is broken, the title cannot continue as though nothing happened.”

The Miss North Carolina USA title has since passed to first runner-up Myla Hadley, who is set to represent the state at the Miss USA pageant beginning Aug. 24 in Miami.

“I think and believe that my title was ripped from me because of my beliefs,” Boltinhouse told the Carolina Journal, adding “every teenager has made a mistake” when talking about the posts from 2017-2019 where the alleged objectionable statements were made online.

Boltinhouse pointed to her winning the crown based in part on being named Miss Congeniality “because of my character and who I am.”

“I won’t be judged for my past,” she said, taking this setback as a “blessing in disguise” for her, adding she is “glad it happened to me and not some other young lady that, you know, probably just wouldn’t make it through what I am going through right now.”

“You have a right to be a conservative in this country, a constitutional right,” she added in that interview. “Everyone has a right to say what they want to say and feel what they want to feel.”