Miss USA Organization controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2026
Brittany Boltinhouse sues Miss USA Organization over dethronement
Lawsuit filed
Brittany Boltinhouse, the 27-year-old former Miss North Carolina USA 2026, filed a civil lawsuit on Aug. 23 in Duplin County Superior Court in North Carolina against the Miss USA Organization, chairman and CEO Thom Brodeur, A Blaize Productions, and North Carolina pageant operators Ariana and Nic Blaize, accusing them of defamation after she was stripped of her state title earlier in August.
Company response
Denial — Miss USA Organization
the Miss USA Organization has maintained that Boltinhouse's dethroning was due to conduct over an extended period that violated their standards
Source excerpt
According to the complaint, Boltinhouse alleges pageant officials portrayed her publicly as racist, homophobic, transphobic and bigoted following her dethronement.
The lawsuit, filed Sunday, Aug. 23, in Duplin County Superior Court in North Carolina, accuses the defendants of defamation and alleges they coordinated a damaging public narrative about Boltinhouse following her removal.
Brittany is suing the Miss USA Organization, CEO Thom Brodeur and the operators of the Miss North Carolina USA pageant for defamation and civil conspiracy.