EXCLUSIVE: Former Miss North Carolina Sues Miss USA After Losing Crown
Former Miss North Carolina sues Miss USA after losing crown, fueling a major dispute over her title.
Sept. 11 2026, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
Booted beauty queen Brittany Boltinhouse has hit the controversial Miss USA organization with a bombshell lawsuit claiming she was dethroned, defamed and targeted by pageant organizers because of her conservative Christian beliefs, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The legal action is the latest black eye for the troubled organization, which made headlines in 2024 when Miss USA Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava abruptly resigned amid allegations of toxic management and bullying under then-president Laylah Rose, who was eventually canned in September 2025.
Brittany Claims Conservative Views Cost Her Crown
Attorney Patrick Mincey claims Brittany Boltinhouse was ousted over her conservative Christian beliefs.
Rose was replaced by pageant coach and judge Thom Brodeur, who now heads Miss USA. Boltinhouse was stripped of her Miss North Carolina USA title just three weeks before the Aug. 24-27 pageant, with Miss USA declaring it "does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia, nor language that strips any person of their dignity."
Brittany and her attorney Patrick Mincey immediately pushed back on the decision and claimed Miss USA ousted the 27-year-old babe because of her staunch support for President Donald Trump and slain conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk, and her criticism of former President Joe Biden's "Transgender Day of Visibility."
Brittany also attended Trump's Jan. 6, 2021, speech in Washington, D.C., before the Capitol riot. But the lawsuit stresses she never approached or entered the Capitol, encountered law enforcement, or took part in the mayhem.
"Defendants hid from the public the real reason they dethroned Brittany: she is a conservative Christian," states the lawsuit, which also names organizers of the Miss North Carolina USA pageant and two of its officers.
Boltinhouse's Lawyer Defends Her Against Racism Claims
Thom Brodeur replaced Laylah Rose as head of the Miss USA organization.
"Brodeur deliberately, falsely and misleadingly gave his and the Miss USA Defendants' enormous online audience the false impression Brittany had admitted to being a racist, homophobe or transphobe – all of which are categorically denied, false, and untrue," the filing charges.
While Brodeur said the decision was not based on a single incident but on "conduct over an extended period of time," Brittany's lawyer insists she is not a racist, pointing out that her late paternal great-grandfather "ethnically self-identified all his life as a black, Afro Latino Honduran."
Mincey also claims the pageant used Brittany's old social media posts containing the N-word as justification for axing her from the competition.
Boltinhouse Seeks Damages Over Lost Crown
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Runner-up Myla Hadley was scheduled to compete in Boltinhouse's place.
"No one took offense because it was evident in 2017 and 2019, when Brittany wrote those posts as a teenager, no offense was intended," the lawsuit contends. "Indeed, no offense was caused."
Brittany claims she "suffered injury to her reputation, livelihood, professional relationships and community standing," and is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from the defendants.
The Miss USA pageant was scheduled to take place Aug. 27, with Miss North Carolina USA runner-up Myla Hadley competing in Brittany's place.
