A brand in turmoil: Miss USA faces a new lawsuit over Christian bias after years of scandals at the pageant
Another scandal threatens to deepen Miss USA’s ongoing leadership crisis
Miss USA is facing another legal storm after Brittany Boltinhouse, the former Miss North Carolina USA titleholder, filed a lawsuit alleging that pageant officials stripped her crown and damaged her reputation because of her conservative Christian beliefs.
Boltinhouse was crowned Miss North Carolina USA in June but was removed from the title on Aug. 5, less than three weeks before the national competition.
Her lawsuit names Miss USA CEO Thom Brodeur , A Blaize Productions and other pageant officials as defendants. She’s seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
The organization said Boltinhouse’s removal followed a review of recently surfaced information and cited conduct that allegedly conflicted with its standards regarding racism, homophobia and transphobia. Runner-up Myla Hadley was selected to replace her at the national competition.
Boltinhouse strongly disputes that explanation. Through her attorney, Patrick Mincey, she alleges that her conservative politics and Christian beliefs played a central role in the decision.
Her lawsuit points to her support for Donald Trump and conservative activist Charlie Kirk , as well as her criticism of former President Joe Biden’s Transgender Day of Visibility.
The complaint also addresses social media posts Boltinhouse made in 2017 and 2019, including posts containing a racial slur. Her attorney argues that the posts were made when she was a teenager and disputes the suggestion that they demonstrate racist beliefs.
"No one took offense because it was evident in 2017 and 2019, when Brittany wrote those posts as a teenager, no offense was intended," states the lawsuit. "Indeed, no offense was caused."
A new chapter for a troubled pageant
The lawsuit adds another controversy to an organization that’s already endured several high-profile scandals and leadership upheavals.
In May 2024, Miss USA Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava resigned within days of each other. Their departures sparked widespread attention and scrutiny over the pageant’s management.
Voigt later described serious concerns about the working environment, while Srivastava said her personal values no longer aligned with the organization.
The controversy surrounding leadership continued into the following year. Pageant coach and judge Thom Brodeur eventually took control of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA brands after a change in licensing arrangements, adding another layer of uncertainty to an organization already struggling to move beyond its recent turmoil.
Miss USA has maintained that the decision wasn’t based on one isolated incident. Brodeur said the organization considered conduct over an extended period and stressed that holding a title comes with responsibilities and expectations.
Boltinhouse’s legal team, however, argues that the public explanation was misleading and unfairly portrayed her as someone who had acknowledged racist, homophobic or transphobic views.
Her attorneys say she suffered damage to her reputation, career prospects, professional relationships and standing in her community.
The case now moves the dispute from the pageant world into the courtroom, where both sides will have an opportunity to present evidence supporting their competing versions of events.
