Myla Hadley — who initially placed as the runner-up at Miss North Carolina USA 2026 — has assumed the crown and will represent the state at Miss USA
Zoey Lyttle


Former Miss North Carolina USA Brittany Boltinhouse Credit: Carolina Journal

Brittany Boltinhouse is speaking out after she was stripped of her Miss North Carolina USA title.

The Miss USA Organization announced on Aug. 5 that Boltinhouse was no longer Miss North Carolina USA 2026. Thom Brodeur, chairman and CEO of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, said that the decision was made jointly with the titleholder, her state directors and the organization following what it described as conduct that violated its standards.

In her first comments following the pageant's decision, Boltinhouse said that she believed that she was stripped of her title because of her views as a "conservative Christian woman" while speaking with Carolina Journal editor-in-chief Donna King in an interview posted to YouTube on Friday, August 7.

When asked by King whether or not she believed that her "conservative political and social values" have "harmed" her during the pageant,

"I'm proud of my standards. I'm a proud conservative woman, but a Christian woman. I'm a God-fearing woman," she said. "

She also shared that because she had signed an agreement with a "confidentiality clause," she was "not allowed to speak about things" that led to her losing her title.

"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 just probably wouldn't make it through what I'm going through right now," Boltinhouse continued. "The scrutiny, my family behind it as well. But I will say that I'm very much at peace and I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I know who I am and I know what I can become."

Later in the interview, King asked Boltinhouse whether she believed that being a conservative was "disqualifying to a degree in the pageant system."

"No, I think that in any system, not just in pageantry, I think you have the right to be a conservative in this country," Boltinhouse responded. "It's a constitutional right."

Later, she demurred when asked whether she thought that supporting President Donald Trump was viewed by the pageant system as "disqualifying."

"I don't know. I don't know. All I can say from the information that I have today and what I believe and I think is honestly I don't know," Boltinhouse said. "I wasn't really given anything."

She continued, "All I can say is that I think and believe that my title was ripped from me because of my beliefs."

Boltinhouse, of Beulaville, was crowned Miss North Carolina USA on June 28, just over one month before she was removed. In the initial post announcing the news, Brodeur did not specify the conduct that led to the decision. However, he wrote that the organization "does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia nor language that strips any person of their dignity."

"That is not a policy written for a press release," he wrote in the statement. "It is the floor of what it means to represent this brand."

Brodeur also emphasized that holding the title comes with expectations beyond winning a pageant. "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," said the national pageant head. "When that standard is broken, the title cannot continue as though nothing happened," he continued.

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The organization's decision was not based on a single incident, according to Brodeur.

"What was brought to us was not a single moment," he said. "It reflected conduct over an extended period of time. That is why this outcome was reached, and I stand behind it without qualification."

Brodeur said he had already seen a statement issued by Boltinhouse, and described it as one that included "ownership, accountability and apology." He added, "While it does not undo the harm, and it does not change the outcome, it is the beginning of the only thing that ever repairs harm, which is change."

"These are moments where reflection leads to possibility and growth," he added. "I believe the best you have to offer this world is ahead of you."

He also announced that Myla Hadley will assume the title of Miss North Carolina USA 2026, saying she has the organization's "full confidence and our support."

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