Miss North Carolina hits back after she was stripped of her title over racist posts as she claims her religious beliefs made her a target

Miss North Carolina has hit back at the pageant after she was stripped of her title over alleged racist posts.

Brittany Boltinhouse, 27, won the crown last month and was expected to compete in the national pageant on August 27, but posts from an X account believed to be hers quickly circulated, including a racial slur. 

A Blaize Productions, which serves as the executive producer and state license holder for the official Miss USA pageants in North Carolina, revoked her title and instead crowned runner-up Myla Hadley, citing 'recently surfaced information.' 

However, Boltinhouse now claims that her revocation was not due to the alleged posts but rather because of her political beliefs.

In a recent interview with the Carolina Journal, she told editor-in-chief Donna King that she believes she was ousted from the pageant due to her 'belief system as a conservative Christian woman.' 

Boltinhouse explained that she was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormon religion. 

She touted herself as a 'proud conservative' and 'God-fearing' woman, adding, 'I also love this country. That's something I want to make clear.' Boltinhouse continued that she believed in 'A nation under God.'

When asked about the alleged racist posts, Boltinhouse did not confirm whether they were from her, but said that 'every teenager has made a mistake.' 

'Every person has made a mistake. But I'm not really here to talk about that. I'm here to talk about the woman I am today.' 

She continued that despite what happened 'decades ago,' Boltinhouse believes she is a 'hardworking woman' who won her titles fair and square. 

The pageant queen cited her Miss Congeniality award, which is given to a contestant based on their character. 

'I'm also the first married woman who had that title, and that's something that I'm proud of,' she continued. 

'I won't be judged for my past and I won't be judged at all because I am the woman I am today.' 

Boltinhouse reflected on her short-lived pageant career, having just started competing last year. 

She explained that her experience with Miss USA went from a 'dream to a nightmare' after the allegations surfaced. 

Despite the media firestorm, Boltinhouse said she was glad the controversy happened to her, boasting that she could handle the scrutiny and had made peace with her unwanted departure from pageantry. 

When discussing the pageant executives who stripped her of her title, Boltinhouse said, 'I show a lot of grace and a lot of love to those people because I know they make mistakes too. 

'I understand that they might not have the wisdom and knowledge that I do, but I forgive them,' she boasted. 

Boltinhouse refused to elaborate on the events that transpired before her title was stripped, citing a confidentiality clause, but said that the narrative against her was untrue. 

Thom Brodeur, the chairman of Miss USA, addressed the matter in a lengthy Instagram message, explaining that the organization 'does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia nor language that strips any person of their dignity.'

'A title here isn't a trinket. It is a position of trust, extended by an organization and accepted by a woman who agrees to carry a standard in public,' he added.

'When that standard is broken, the title cannot continue as though nothing happened.'

He said that the decision didn't come down to a 'single moment,' but rather 'conduct over an extended period of time.'

'State titleholders are recruited, vetted and approved for competition at the state level. We acted as soon as this reached us.'

A family member of Boltinhouse's previously told the Daily Mail that 'it’s important to put her truth out and have the proper narrative out versus a narrative that is saving the face [of] an organization.'

'As you can imagine, there’s a lot we would like to say but we are taking the time to be in prayer and unity and [will] respond in a manner [that] God calls us to.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to A Blaize Productions for comment on Boltinhouse's interview.