LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

Carrie Prejean claims it was her answer during April’s Miss USA pageant about gay marriage that led to her ultimately being stripped of the Miss California title on Wednesday.

Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush broke the news to the beauty queen about her dethroning during a phone call for “The Billy Bush” show and in addition to saying she was surprised by the news, Prejean said the decision made by the Miss California Organization, and supported by Miss Universe pageant owner Donald Trump, was due to her expressing her view that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Prejean shared her views in answer to a question from Perez Hilton during the Miss USA competition.

“That’s the first that I’ve heard of it Billy,” Prejean said of her firing. “It’s just because of my answer, I think. None of this would be happening right now if I just said, ‘Yeah, gays should get married. You’re right Perez Hilton.”

As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, on Wednesday, Miss California USA Executive Director Keith Lewis said in a statement that Prejean was fired from her post “based solely on contract violations including Ms. Prejean’s unwillingness to make appearances on behalf of the Miss California USA Organization.”

When asked about communication between herself and the organization, Prejean said they have been talking and she has been making appearances as Miss California.

“I’ve tried to reach out to them and I’ve done several appearances and I’m gonna be presenting at the Special Olympics this weekend as an honorary guest,” she said, revealing she was on her way to an appearance in San Diego when she spoke to Bush. “I mean, I’ve been cooperating with them. I don’t see why this is happening. This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

In May, less than a month after making her gay marriage comments at the Miss USA pageant, semi-nude photos of Prejean hit the Web. While her pageant contract prohibited nudity, Trump decided the pictures were tasteful and she should be allowed to keep her crown. However, the day after that decision, Miss California Co-Executive Director Shanna Moakler quit the organization claiming she lost faith in the Miss Universe Organization after the Prejean decision.

But on Wednesday, following Prejean’s dismissal, Moakler said she once again supported the group.

“First and foremost, my faith has been restored in the Miss Universe Organization and with Donald Trump. I believed eventually what I intimately knew would come to fruition,” Moakler said in a statement to Access.

As for Prejean, she said she would like to keep her crown.

“Of course I want to be Miss California USA,” Prejean told Bush. “I earned it. I deserved it. I won. I beat out 90 other girls. “This is something that I did and accomplished and I would like to continue to be Miss California USA but the director’s obviously… Shanna doesn’t like me, Keith doesn’t like me. I mean the only one that likes me is Donald Trump.”

When asked if she planned to contact Trump following the news, Prejean answered by saying she believes he is acting with her best interest in mind.

“I think that he definitely is a businessman and I know that he’s looking out for my best interest and right now, I think that that maybe he [thinks this decision is in the] best interest for me,” she said.

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