Key Takeaways
- Brittany Boltinhouse sued Miss USA and A Blaize Productions for defamation, claiming they created a “false public narrative” that branded her a racist and bigot after stripping her Miss North Carolina USA title.
- Boltinhouse seeks more than $25,000 and argues that her conservative Christian beliefs influenced her removal, while defending resurfaced posts in which she used the N-word as slang.
- Miss USA CEO Thom Brodeur said the organization acted over “conduct over an extended period of time,” and first runner-up Myla Hadley has since taken the crown.
Brittany Boltinhouse is taking her fight with Miss USA to court. The former Miss North Carolina USA filed a defamation lawsuit this week against the national pageant organization and the company behind the North Carolina competition, accusing them of creating a “false public narrative” that branded her as a racist and bigot after she was stripped of her crown earlier this month.
According to The New York Times, the lawsuit, filed in Duplin County Superior Court, alleges that Miss USA and A Blaize Productions damaged Boltinhouse’s reputation by publicly tying her removal to racism, homophobia and transphobia without clearly stating which specific conduct triggered the decision.
According to the filing, the organizations portrayed Boltinhouse as an “intolerable bigot to be shunned from public life” and falsely suggested she had admitted wrongdoing. Boltinhouse is seeking more than $25,000 in damages, with the final amount to be determined at trial.
Her attorneys are also challenging a statement from Miss USA CEO Thom Brodeur that said Boltinhouse planned to issue an apology and take accountability. The lawsuit claims A Blaize Productions drafted such a statement for her, but Boltinhouse refused to sign it.
The legal action marks a major escalation from Boltinhouse’s earlier public defense. After losing the Miss North Carolina title, she said she believed her conservative Christian beliefs played a role in her removal.
“All I can say is that I think and believe that my title was ripped from me because of my beliefs,” she told the Carolina Journal. “I am proud of my faith — I am proud of my standards.”
The controversy began after social media posts from 2017 and 2019 resurfaced showing Boltinhouse using the N-word. Her lawsuit argues that she used the slur as slang and notes that Beyoncé’s “Heated,” a song containing the word, was selected by pageant organizers for part of the competition.
The suit also points to Boltinhouse’s Afro-Latino heritage and says other resurfaced posts showed support for Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk and the Tate brothers, along with criticism of transgender-related political issues.
He also said the decision was based not on a “single moment,” but on “conduct over an extended period of time.”
Boltinhouse’s legal team disputes that characterization, arguing that the fallout was immediate and severe. The lawsuit says the coverage surrounding her removal “instantly transformed Brittany’s public identity” from newly crowned Miss North Carolina USA into someone widely accused of racism and bigotry.
Meanwhile, first runner-up Myla Hadley has already taken over the title and will represent North Carolina at the Miss USA competition.
The lawsuit lands as Miss USA faces yet another round of instability. The organization has dealt with leadership turnover, prior allegations of rigging and harassment, and the 2024 resignations of both Miss USA and Miss Teen USA. Adding to the turbulence, The CW dropped plans to broadcast this year’s competition just days before the event.
