The newly-crowned Miss Teen USA says she's 'not proud of' her bad choice of word in the past, but claims she is 'a better person' today.
- Aug 1, 2016
AceShowbiz - Just hours after she was named Miss Teen USA 2016, Karlie Hay landed in hot water. The 18-year-old Texan's past haunts her when someone pointed out her use of N-word in the past. Her old Twitter posts resurfaced, showing her constantly using the offensive word.
"I know I'm a comedian n****r," read one of her tweets. She once also wrote, "don't threaten me I will wrap your house n****r." Another post read, "I don't have your number, n****." The Twitter account has since been turned private.
Former Miss Teen USA Kamie Crawford who read about the controversy responded on her own Twitter account, "I can take the #missteenusa top 5 being an all white, all blonde top 5. What I can't take is - why didn't the winner clean up her page? If u win any pageant - first things first. Clean up ur page. Cus if ur under 21 u shouldn't b drinking&if ur WHITE the n word ain't yo word!"
Karlie quickly addresses the matter after people called her out for her racist tweets. "Several years ago, I had many personal struggles and found myself in a place that is not representative of who I am as a person. I admit that I have used language publicly in the past which I am not proud of and that there is no excuse for," she writes on Instagram.
But she claims she has changed now, adding, "Through hard work, education and thanks in large part to the sisterhood that I have come to know through pageants, I am proud to say that I am today a better person." She continues, "I am honored to hold this title and I will use this platform to promote the values of The Miss Universe Organization, and my own, that recognize the confidence, beauty and perseverance of all women."
The Miss Universe Organization is also defending the newly-crowned Miss Teen USA. "The language Karlie Hay used is unacceptable at any age and in no way reflects the values of The Miss Universe Organization. As Karlie stated, she was in a different place in her life and made a serious mistake she regrets and for which she sincerely apologizes," it says in a statement to E! News. "Karlie learned many lessons through those personal struggles that reshaped her life and values. We as an organization are committed to supporting her continued growth."
Miss Teen USA 2016 itself was slammed for the lack of diversity in its finalists. The Top Five, Miss North Carolina Emily Wakeman, Miss South Carolina Marley Stokes, Miss Alabama Erin Snow and Miss Nevada Carissa Morrow, are all blonde women.
Noticing their similarities, Chrissy Teigen sarcastically wrote on Twitter, "Wow how can we choose from such a diverse bunch." She added, "It's fiiiiiine. Not their fault. I'm sure they are delightful women. Just funny. I'm not gonna write a think-piece on a damn pageant."
