Miss USA CEO Slams Dethroned Miss North Carolina in Lawsuit Over Racial Slur Usage

The Miss USA organization and its CEO are firing back at former Miss North Carolina USA, Brittany Boltinhouse, who is suing after she was stripped of her crown ... TMZ has learned.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ, Miss USA's leader, Thom Brodeur, slammed Brittany's lawsuit, in which she claimed the pageant execs defamed her.

Thom and the organization argued their public statements about the matter didn't defame Brittany. They claim the statement did not name Brittany … and say, even if they did, it would still be an expression of opinion … and you can't sue someone for defamation over stating their opinion.

Miss USA and Thom also insist Brittany already admitted to using racist slurs in social media posts … and therefore her lawsuit is nonsense.

Brittany was named Miss North Carolina in June 2026 and was scheduled to compete in the Miss USA pageant in August 2026 ... but the organization pulled Brittany from the competition after old social media posts where she used the n-word surfaced.

Brittany claimed Miss USA also removed her due to her attending President Trump's rally on January 6, 2021, posting about the Tate brothers, and posting a tribute for Charlie Kirk.

The pageant released a statement announcing Brittany was being removed. It also said, "The organization said it does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia, nor language that strips any person of their dignity." Brittany didn't take issue with her being taken out of the competition, but felt the statement created a false public narrative that she was a racist.