Karlie Hay
admits she has "used language publicly in the past which I am not proud of
and that there is no excuse for".
The new Miss
Teen USA has been forced to apologise over racist tweets from her past just
days after being crowned.
Karlie Hay
won the pageant on Saturday but social media users quickly discovered an
account under her name that featured tweets with the N-word from 2013 and 2014.
Pageant
officials moved into damage control mode, saying in a statement that her
language was "unacceptable at any age and in no way reflects the values of
The Miss Universe Organisation".
They said
the 18-year-old had been "in a different place in her life" when she
posted the tweets.
"Karlie
learned many lessons through those personal struggles that reshaped her life
and values.
"We as
an organisation are committed to supporting her continued growth."
Hay posted
an apology on Twitter and Instagram, saying she had used language that "is
not representative of who I am as a person".
It is
understood that Hay, of Tomball, Texas, will be allowed to keep her crown.
She has
promised to use her new position to advocate for those affected by drug and
alcohol abuse.
The pageant
was owned by NBC Universal and the Republican Party's presidential nominee
Donald Trump until Mr Trump made anti-immigrant remarks last year.
NBC and
Spanish-language network Univision then refused to broadcast the show.
Mr Trump
bought NBC's stake and in September he sold the whole pageant to talent agency
WME/IMG.
Miss Teen
USA also faced accusations of a lack of diversity after posting an image of the
top five contestants on Twitter.
All five are
white, with long blonde hair and light-coloured eyes.
Model
Chrissy Teigen replied: "Wow how can we choose from such a diverse
bunch."
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