Former Miss North Carolina Brittany Boltinhouse is suing Miss USA for defamation, accusing the pageant organization of weaponizing social media against her after she was dethroned over alleged “homophobic views.”
The lawsuit names the Miss USA organization, its Chairman Thom Brodeur, and the operators of the North Carolina pageant as defendants. The case does not challenge Boltinhouse’s dethroning or seek her reinstatement.
Instead, Boltinhouse alleges the defendants made false statements portraying her as racist, homophobic, transphobic, and bigoted, claiming the statements have damaged her reputation.
In the complaint, Boltinhouse acknowledges that old social media posts resurfaced, including six posts from 2017 and 2019 in which she used a racial slur as a teenager.
She also said posts showing her support for President Donald Trump and the late Charlie Kirk were used by the Miss USA organization as part of a campaign against her. Boltinhouse alleged that her conservative Christian and political views, rather than the stated concerns over her social media activity, were the real reason she was dethroned.
Boltinhouse further alleged pageant officials pressured her to approve an apology statement that portrayed her as bigoted. She said Brodeur later publicly referenced the statement, creating the impression that she had approved its contents.
MISS NORTH CAROLINA STRIPPED OF TITLE AFTER ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT
The lawsuit comes just days before the annual Miss USA competition on Aug. 27, when North Carolina runner-up Myla Hadley will compete as Miss North Carolina.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Boltinhouse, her attorney Patrick Mincey, and Miss USA for comment.