Miss North Carolina USA 2026 stripped of title as Miss USA organization decries 'racism, homophobia, transphobia'
Just weeks after Brittany Boltinhouse was crowned Miss North Carolina USA 2026, the Miss USA Organization revoked her title and then released a statement condemning "racism, homophobia, and transphobia."
In a statement released Thursday, Aug. 6, Miss USA chairman, president, and CEO Thom Brodeur wrote, "Today, Brittany Boltinhouse's reign as Miss North Carolina USA 2026 came to an end. The decision was made together with her, her state directors, and in consultation with the Miss USA Organization."
Per Brodeur, the organization "does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia nor language that strips any person of their dignity—whoever they are."
Brodeur maintained that the Miss USA title "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."
"When that standard is broken, the title cannot continue as though nothing has happened," he continued.
The offending behavior was not an isolated incident, added Brodeur. When the organization learned of the conduct, they "acted as soon as [the news] reached us," he wrote.
Brodeur then called for humanity in the public's alleged treatment of the offending beauty queen.
"There is a young woman at the center of this. She has been named, examined, and judged in public in a way that most of us would not survive, and she is still a human being with a family, a future, and a life ahead of her that is longer than this part of her journey," Brodeur wrote. "I will not run an organization that pretends otherwise."
He wrote he and the organization will continue to hold her accountable for her actions.
Brodeur then wished Boltinhouse well, writing, "These are moments where reflection leads to possibility and growth."
In a separate statement, A Blaize Productions, the license holder for Miss North Carolina USA, said that the decision to strip Boltinhouse of her crown was "difficult" and was "not made lightly."
"It followed a thorough review of recently surfaced information and was based on the totality of the circumstances and our responsibility to preserve the integrity of the Miss North Carolina USA title and the values of our organization," it said.
Taking over the Miss North Carolina USA title is Myla Hadley.
Boltinhouse has yet to comment on the matter as of writing.
