Miss North Carolina USA has been stripped of her beauty pageant title just over a month removed from her victory as a string of alleged racist posts resurfaced.
Brittany Boltinhouse, 27, was formally dethroned from the position on Wednesday after pageant organizers conducted a “thorough review of recently surfaced information.”
Bosses at A-Blaize Productions, which oversaw the Miss North Carolina USA contest, said the decision to strip Boltinhouse of her title was “difficult.”
“This decision was not made lightly,” the organizers said in a statement. “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.”
“As an organization entrusted with selecting and preparing women to represent our states on the national stage, we must uphold the standards and values that our titleholders agree to embrace when accepting the honor of wearing the crown.”
Thom Brodeur, president and CEO of Miss USA, didn’t disclose what Boltinhouse wrote in the social media posts, but said that the brand “does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia, nor language that strips any person of their dignity – whoever they are.”
“That is not a policy written for a press release,” Brodeur said. “It is the floor of what it means to represent this brand.
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. When that standard is broken, the title cannot continue as though nothing happened.
“What was brought to us was not a single moment. It reflected conduct over an extended period of time.
“That is why this outcome was reached and I stand behind it without qualification.”
Boltinhouse apologized, according to Brodeur, but the executive said her confession “does not undo the harm, and it does not change the outcome.”
Boltinhouse, a business owner in Wilmington, is accused of writing a slew of social media posts containing a racial slur under an alias between 2017 and 2019, the NCBeat reported.
She allegedly used the n-word several times and framed herself as “toxic” in the posts under the username Sosa the Stallion.
Boltinhouse, a Honduran-Mexican model, goes under the name “Sosa” on social media. She was the first Honduran model to win the Miss North Carolina USA title.
“There are moments in life that forever change who you are. This is one of mine,” she said, reflecting on her June 28 success before paying tribute to her parents.
“As for me, I carry this crown with immense pride. Representation matters, and I hope every little girl who has ever wondered if she belongs can see that she does.
“Mom and Dad… thank you for being the foundation of the woman I am today. Your sacrifices, your faith, and your love built the character that stands beneath this crown. This crown is bigger than me. It’s for the people who have been underestimated.”
Boltinhouse was set to participate in the 75th annual Miss USA three-day competition, which gets underway in Miami, Florida, on August 24,
Myla Hadley, who finished as the contest’s first runner-up, has now assumed Boltinhouse’s title.
She said she’s been left “humbled” by the congratulatory messages she has received, and is ready to represent The Tar Heel State at Miss USA.
