Former Miss North Carolina USA, Brittany Boltinhouse, has spoken out after being stripped of her crown just weeks before the Miss USA pageant. She suggested that her conservative Christian values might have influenced the decision.
The Miss USA Organization announced on August 5 that Boltinhouse lost her title. Chairman Thom Brodeur did not detail the conduct behind the decision but stated the organization does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia, or language that diminishes a person’s dignity. He mentioned that the conduct had occurred over an extended period.
The decision came weeks after Boltinhouse won the state title and less than three weeks before she was to represent North Carolina at the Miss USA pageant on August 27. In an interview with the Carolina Journal, she described losing the title as a “blessing in disguise.”
“I’m very much at peace and I’m actually glad it happened to me and not some other young lady that, you know, maybe wouldn’t make it through what I’m going through right now,” Boltinhouse said.
Boltinhouse cannot share details of what led to her title being revoked due to a confidentiality agreement. However, she believes her political and religious views were factors.
“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 stated.
Boltinhouse emphasized her pride in her faith and her conservative values. She expressed the importance of freedom to express political beliefs, suggesting that everyone should have the right to feel and speak as they wish.
On whether her support for President Donald Trump affected the decision, Boltinhouse said, “I don’t know. All I can say from the information that I have today and what I believe and think is honestly I don’t know. I wasn’t really given anything.”
Despite her experience, she is forgiving of the organization. She hopes other women see her experience as encouragement to stand by their beliefs.
“Hopefully see me as an example,” she said. “To always stand for what you believe, no matter what.”
Myla Hadley, the first runner-up, will now represent North Carolina at the national level with full confidence and support from the Miss USA Organization. Brodeur discussed the importance of handling accountability without cruelty.
“There is a young woman at the center of this,” he said. “She has been named, examined, and judged in public in a way most of us would not survive.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Miss USA Organization for further comments.
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