Former Miss North Carolina USA Sues Pageant Over Dethronement, Claims Defamation
Brittany Boltinhouse, stripped of her Miss North Carolina USA title, filed a defamation lawsuit alleging the pageant organizers fabricated a narrative portraying her as a bigot, while she maintains the removal was due to her conservative Christian beliefs.
Brittany Boltinhouse, 27, who was dethroned as Miss North Carolina USA on Aug. 5, has filed a defamation lawsuit against A-Blaize Productions and Miss USA president Thom Brodeur. The complaint, filed on Sunday, alleges the pageant organizers "maliciously coordinated to publish a false public narrative portraying [her] as a racist, homophobe, and intolerable bigot to be shunned from public life." The lawsuit was submitted just before the Miss USA competition begins in Miami on Monday.
According to the filing, Boltinhouse was removed after an investigation uncovered social-media posts from 2017-19 that used the N-word. Her attorneys argue the posts only became an issue after she won the state crown and that the organizers used them to smear her, while concealing that the real reason for her removal was her conservative Christian stance.
Boltinhouse has previously said she was dethroned because of her political views, citing her attendance at a 2021 Trump rally, support for public figures Andrew and Tristan Tate, criticism of Biden’s 2024 Transgender Day of Visibility proclamation, and a call to vote for Trump in the upcoming election. Her lawyers contend the pageant used these beliefs to defame her.
"Nearly a decade later… when Brittany’s immigrant-inspired work ethic was propelling her to the American dream, [the pageant organizers] would conspire to use these innocuous posts… to falsely smear Brittany as a racist, homophobe, transphobe, and bigot," the lawsuit states.
A recorded call from Aug. 5 shows pageant co-director Nic Blaize telling Boltinhouse, "you are being dethroned… because of the totality of every single thing altogether," and noting that the national office instructed the organization to issue a public statement.
A-Blaize Productions denied that Boltinhouse’s political or religious views influenced the decision, stating the removal was based on a "careful review of the totality of information… 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."
Boltinhouse is seeking monetary damages, and Myla Hadley has assumed the state crown. A-Blaize Productions has not responded to the lawsuit.