Recently-crowned Miss Teen USA 2016 Karlie Hay sat for an interview on “Good Morning America, explaining her past controversial racist tweets in 2013. The offensive tweets included the repeated use of the N-word.
“It’s something I’m ashamed of and I’ve grown up from that 15-year-old girl who used that type of language,” Karlie said.
In the interview, Hay took responsibility for writing the tweets.
“At that age, I was being a follower. I was trying to fit in with my friends. The word was thrown around in the music I listened to, with the friends I hung out with and I had no guidance so it was kind of a careless mistake. When the tweet got brought back up I was just like kind of embarrassed, ashamed, and just amazed that I actually at one point in my life thought it was okay to use that word because it’s never okay.”
The 18-year-old from Texas was crowned the new Miss Teen USA Saturday night at The Venetian Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Watch the interview below.
The Miss Universe Organization, the parent company of Miss Teen USA, said a statement that though the language Hay used was “unacceptable at any age and in no way reflects the values of The Miss Universe Organization,” she will keep her crown.