Miss North Carolina winner who was stripped of her title after using N-word hits back with explosive lawsuit

The Miss North Carolina USA winner who was stripped of her title after posts in which she used the N-word resurfaced has filed a bombshell lawsuit against the organization, accusing them of 'knowingly ensuring her excruciating reputational destruction.'

Brittany Boltinhouse, 27, won the contest last month and was set to compete at the national Miss USA beauty pageant on August 27. 

However, earlier this month, her title was revoked by the event's organizers, who cited 'recently surfaced information;' the runner-up, Myla Hadley, will now take her crown and place at the competition. 

While the organization did not specify what information it was referring to, a screenshot circulated on X afterwards that showed posts from Boltinhouse referencing the N-word in 2017 and 2019. 

Afterwards, Thom Brodeur, the chairman of Miss USA, stated in a lengthy message when the announcement was first made that the organization 'does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia nor language that strips any person of their dignity.' 

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

Now, Boltinhouse has hit back at the organization in an explosive new lawsuit. 

In the lawsuit, which was filed on Sunday and viewed by the Daily Mail, Boltinhouse's lawyers accused Miss USA and A Blaize productions, which serves as the executive producer and state license holder for the official Miss USA pageants in North Carolina, of 'weaponizing their social media platforms to deploy a catastrophic, global campaign to injure a bright, inspiring beauty pageant winner of mixed race and proud daughter of immigrant parents, embodying the ideal work ethic and American dream.'

'This case is not about whether Defendants had legal authority to remove Brittany’s 2026 Miss North Carolina USA crown ... Rather, this case is about what Defendants did next: Maliciously coordinating to publish a false public narrative portraying Brittany Boltinhouse as a racist, homophobe, transphobe and intolerable bigot to be shunned from public life,' the document reads.

Her lawyers went on to accuse Miss USA and A Blaize Productions of turning her into 'the target of widespread accusations of racism, homophobia, transphobia and bigotry.'

In the lawsuit, Boltinhouse's lawyers confirmed that the beauty queen posted 'the popular slang term "n***a"' on her social media account five times in 2017 and once in 2019.'

'At the time - and for nearly a decade - the posts generated no comments, objections or outcry,' the document states.

'Until online sleuths unearthed the posts in 2026 after Brittany won Miss North Carolina USA and was on her way to compete for Miss USA scheduled for the last week of August 2026, did anyone ever purport to take offense to Brittany’s self-evident, colloquial use of the popular slang term "n***a" that is ubiquitous in American society and culture?'

They added that 'no offense was intended' with the posts, stating: 'Brittany’s use of the popular slang term "n***a" is in no way evidence she is a racist, homophobe, transphobe or a bigot who should be shunned from public life as Defendants set about and conspired to cause with their defamatory social media posts.'

They alleged Miss USA and A Blaize Productions 'conspired to use the innocuous posts' to 'falsely smear Brittany' and 'destroy her reputation, her professional career, harm her businesses and cause her calculable damages.'

In the lawsuit, Boltinhouse's lawyers also confirmed that she attended President Donald Trump's speech on January 6, 2021, at the National Mall in Washington, DC, but did not 'approach or enter the Capitol Building.'

In addition, they noted that she publicly objected to President Joe Biden's Transgender Day of Visibility – an annual event that honors the lives, resilience, and achievements of transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse people – in 2024.

In a Facebook post at the time, Boltinhouse wrote that she was 'deeply troubled by the current state of our nation' while sharing a screenshot of an article about Transgender Day of Visibility.

'The disrespect and embarrassment we witness today are a far cry from the values that once made us proud to be Americans,' she said.

'The Pledge of Allegiance, a symbol of unity and loyalty, is now tainted with blasphemy and antichrist sentiments. 

'As a believer in Jesus Christ, I urge you to join me in standing up for what is right and restoring the standards that once defined us. Let us not be silent in the face of moral decay. It is time to reclaim our identity as a nation under God.' 

Boltinhouse has also shared her support for President Donald Trump, publicly praised controversial star Andrew Tate, who is currently facing multiple charges including rape and human trafficking, and shared her heartbreak following Charlie Kirk's murder in 2025, describing him as 'one of the greatest inspirations in my life.'

Her lawyers alleged that Miss USA and Blaize productions 'published a lie about her in order to prevent someone with her political beliefs from remaining in the competition.' 

The pageant queen, who described herself as a 'proud conservative' and 'God-fearing' woman, previously told the Daily Mail that she believes her crown was not taken away because she used the racial slur, but rather, because of her 'political and religious stance.'

The court documents included transcriptions of audio recordings of phone conversations between Boltinhouse and A Blaize Productions co-owners Nic Blaize and Ariana Blaize, which took place on the day her crown was revoked.

According to the transcript, Ariana noted that there would be a 'PR fallout' should they decide not to revoke her title. 

'I just don't think we would be able to survive it. I think that [not revoking your title would] probably cost us our franchise. And that's really what led to the decision to remove your title,' she said, per the document, in part.

'People are offended and that's something that we can't control ... When you choose to say whatever you want to say, you have to deal with the backlash of how people will interpret that.

'I love Trump. Trump is my person. That's not the issue. We have a lot of girls that are competing who have voted for Trump or their families have voted for Trump. It's not that.'

She continued: 'We can't tell women we believe in empowering [them] and then we stand behind someone who supports [people like Andrew Tate].

'And we do not have the capacity to fight this. It's painting a picture that we [now] have to defend.'

In a separate phone call, Nic reiterated that they were 'not at all saying' that her crown was removed due to her 'political stance.' 

'This has nothing to do with you not having the freedom to say these things. It's just that saying those things don't align with the organization,' she added.

'This is not blocking you from believing what you believe or you voting for who you want to vote for. 

'At no time, Brittany, did we ever say to you that we are dethroning you because you're not allowed to have a particular political affiliation. It has nothing to do with who you politically support. 

'It is the defamatory things that you said. You are entitled to say what you want to say, but you have to also recognize that the things you're saying are not in line with the organization.'

In the lawsuit, Boltinhouse's lawyers noted that Miss USA and A Blaize Productions decision to strip her of her title was 'justifiable' and that she is not 'seeking rescission, reinstatement, an order restoring her title, an injunction concerning pageant administration or contract damages.'

However, she is asking an 'award of compensatory damages in an amount to be determined by the jury' for all 'injuries proximately caused by Defendants’ wrongful conduct, including injury to Brittany’s reputation and standing in the community, humiliation, embarrassment, mental anguish, emotional distress and loss of professional and economic opportunities.'

'As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ misconduct, Brittany suffered damages in an amount to be proven at trial and exceeding $25,000,' the lawsuit added.

A representative for A Blaize Productions previously told the Daily Mail that 'Ms Boltinhouse was not removed because of her political affiliation, religious beliefs or the exercise of those beliefs.'

'Contestants and titleholders are not prohibited from holding or expressing personal political or religious beliefs,' the company said in a statement.

'Our agreements do, however, establish standards regarding conduct, decorum, representations made to the organization and the responsibilities associated with representing the Miss North Carolina USA title.

'Following her crowning, previously undisclosed information and publicly available material were brought to our attention.

'The organization reviewed that information, communicated directly with Ms Boltinhouse, and consulted with the national organization. The decision was ultimately based on the totality of the circumstances, including conduct and material that the organization determined was inconsistent with the standards and responsibilities associated with serving as Miss North Carolina USA.

'This was not a determination about whether Ms Boltinhouse was entitled to hold particular political or religious beliefs. She was, and remains, entitled to those beliefs.' 

Blaize Productions added that Boltinhouse was 'repeatedly informed of the factors that led to the organization's decision.'

'During those communications, we expressly distinguished her personal political and religious beliefs from the conduct and material that were the subject of our concerns. At no point was she informed that her title was being terminated because of her political or religious beliefs,' the statement continued.

'We are aware that Ms Boltinhouse has referenced audio recordings of communications with the organization. Because we have now received correspondence from legal counsel representing Ms Boltinhouse concerning anticipated litigation, it would be inappropriate for us to publicly litigate the contents of private communications, recordings, specific evidence or individual allegations through the media. 

'We stand by the process that was followed, the reasons communicated to Ms Boltinhouse, and the decision that was made.' 

The organization concluded the statement by adding that Blaize Productions 'also continues to strongly discourage bullying, harassment, threats or personal attacks against Ms Boltinhouse.'

'Our organizational decision should never be interpreted as an invitation for anyone to mistreat her,' the company said. 'We continue to wish Ms Boltinhouse all the best moving forward.'

While speaking to the Daily Mail previously, Boltinhouse said she was not sorry for using the N-word. 

When asked if she believed she should apologize for using the N-word, she stated: 'No. Not at all.'