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By Hannah Parry and Joshua Rhett Miller
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Brittany Boltinhouse responded to having her Miss North Carolina USA crown stripped with a mixture of conviction and uncertainty on Friday. In her interview with The Carolina Journal, she said, “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.”
Despite losing the title, Boltinhouse made clear that she would not distance herself from those beliefs. “I’m proud of my faith, I’m proud of my standards, I’m a proud conservative woman, but a Christian woman, I'm a God-fearing woman,” she said.
Boltinhouse was stripped of her title just weeks after winning the crown.
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A Blaize Productions, which organizes the Miss North Carolina USA competition, announced the decision to strip Boltinhouse of the title after it said it had conducted “a thorough review of recently surfaced information." The organization said the move was made to preserve the integrity of the title and its standards of leadership and did not elaborate on Boltinhouse's specific alleged behavior.
However, Miss USA CEO Thom Brodeur said in a separate statement that the organization has "zero tolerance" for racism, homophobia, transphobia and language that demeans others. He added that the decision reflected "conduct over an extended period of time" rather than a single incident.
Addressing the controversy surrounding her, she told the Journal, “Every teenager has made a mistake; every person here has made a mistake." She added, "I’m not really here to talk about that. I’m here to talk about the woman I am today,” adding that she is “the hardworking woman, the woman that was standing up there as Miss North Carolina USA, that I won fair and square.”
Looking beyond the loss of her crown, she said she hoped others would take encouragement from her experience: “I hope they see me as an example to always stand for what you believe, no matter what, no matter where.” She further emphasized that women should have the freedom to express their beliefs, saying, “you have the right to speak the way that you feel, no matter what platform, no matter what belief system, that you may have. We live in a country that we have that ability, and that’s beautiful.”
First runner-up Myla Hadley has been named the new Miss North Carolina USA and is expected to represent the state at the upcoming Miss USA competition.
Newsweek reached out to Miss USA via email on Friday for comment. Boltinhouse could not be reached for comment by Newsweek on Thursday.
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Who Is Brittany Boltinhouse?
Boltinhouse is a 27-year-old North Carolina pageant contestant who was crowned Miss North Carolina USA on June 28. She is originally from Duplin County and currently lives in Leland, North Carolina.
Her victory was widely celebrated, with reports noting she became the first Honduran titleholder to win Miss North Carolina USA. She had been preparing to compete at the Miss USA pageant later this month before the title was revoked.
Why Was She Stripped of Her Title?
Pageant organizers did not initially specify the exact issue that led to Boltinhouse's removal, saying only that the decision followed a "thorough review" of newly surfaced information.
However, Miss USA leadership later made clear that the organization believed the conduct violated its standards regarding racism and other discriminatory conduct. Brodeur said the decision was based on a pattern of behavior over several years rather than an isolated mistake. He said that Boltinhouse would release her own statement and argued that "accountability requires" compassion as well as consequences.
According to multiple reports, the controversy centered on archived social media posts allegedly made by Boltinhouse between 2017 and 2019 under the username "Sosa the Stallion."
What Did Her Old Posts Say?
The posts reportedly included repeated use of the N-word, prompting criticism after screenshots resurfaced online. Some outlets have also reported allegations that additional posts contained homophobic and transphobic language, although pageant organizers have not publicly released the posts themselves.
Newsweek has found videos from Boltinhouse where she appears to criticize Mormons and mainstream religions. In her interview with the Journal, she told the outlet that she is Mormon.
The Miss USA Organization has not published the content directly, but said the material was inconsistent with its expectations for titleholders.
Did Brittany Boltinhouse Support Trump?
In addition to the resurfaced posts containing racist language, screenshots circulating online appear to show Boltinhouse expressing support for President Donald Trump, who co-owned the Miss USA pageant from 1996 to 2015.
One post reportedly warned that electing Kamala Harris would turn the U.S. into a "third world country," while another expressed support for Trump.
Some social media users have attempted to link the controversy to Boltinhouse's political views, but there is no public evidence that she lost her title because of support for Trump or any political affiliation.
The statements released by A Blaize Productions and the Miss USA Organization focused exclusively on the resurfaced social media posts and whether they violated the organization's standards regarding racism and discriminatory language. As of August 6, neither organization has cited political beliefs or voting preferences as a factor in its decision.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon, Sam Wilson, Anna Commander.
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