Miss North Carolina USA stripped of crown after reports of alleged racist posts resurface online

First runner-up Myla Hadley will compete at Miss USA after organizers announced the leadership change this week.

Brittany Boltinhouse, the winner of the 2026 Miss North Carolina USA pageant has been stripped of her crown after pageant officials reviewed conduct they said violated the organization’s standards. Boltinhouse had been preparing to represent North Carolina at the 75th Miss USA competition on Aug. 27. First runner-up Myla Hadley will assume the state title and compete in her place.

People reported that the decision was announced Aug. 5, just over a month after Boltinhouse was crowned on June 28. Miss USA chairman and CEO Thom Brodeur said the organization does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia or language that attacks another person’s dignity.

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Neither Miss USA nor A Blaize Productions publicly identified the specific conduct. Brodeur said the decision reflected behavior over an extended period rather than one isolated incident, while the state pageant operator said the pageant conduct review followed recently surfaced information.

The NC Beat reported that screenshots attributed to an older account allegedly linked to Boltinhouse showed repeated use of the N-word between 2017 and 2019. The account used the name “Sosa the Stallion,” which the outlet connected to an earlier online identity, “Sosa B Alondra.”

The screenshots also included posts in which the account described itself as “toxic” and discussed personal relationships in explicit language. The outlet published separate posts showing support for Donald Trump, but pageant officials have not said political views were part of the pageant conduct review.

Local station WWAY reported that Boltinhouse declined to comment when contacted. Brodeur said he had seen a forthcoming statement from her that included ownership, accountability and an apology, while adding that an apology would not reverse the organization’s decision.