text: Hours after being crowned Miss Teen USA, Karlie Hay took to Twitter to take responsibility for offensive language found on her Twitter page. 
   
   Many on Twitter claimed that Hay used curse words, issued threats and even used the N-word on her personal Twitter account, which is now protected. 
   
   The 18-year-old returned to the social network early Sunday morning to acknowledge her past tweets. 
   
   In a series of tweets she wrote, "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." 
   
   Hay stopped short of expressing remorse for her past language, but she did say that she's changed. 
   
   "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 continued. "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." 
   
   I admit that I have used language publicly in the past which I am not proud of and that there is no excuse for. Through hard work... — Karlie Hay (@RealMissTXteen) July 31, 2016 
   
   The Miss Universe Organization, the parent company of Miss Teen USA, said in a statement to ABC News that though the language she used "unacceptable at any age and in no way reflects the values of The Miss Universe Organization," she will keep her crown. 
   
   "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," the statement said. "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." 
   
   Hay was crowned the new Miss Teen USA Saturday night at The Venetian Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. ||||| Miss Teen USA Karlie Hay, of Texas, criticized for having used racial slurs on Twitter 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Photo: Instagram Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Image 1 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 2 of 23 Karlie Hay, of Tomball High School near Houston, was crowned Miss Teen USA on Saturday. Immediately the Internet reacted to her use of racial slurs on social media. Via @VaultJosh Karlie Hay, of Tomball High School near Houston, was crowned Miss Teen USA on Saturday. Immediately the Internet reacted to her use of racial slurs on social media. Via @VaultJosh Image 3 of 23 Karlie Hay, of Tomball High School near Houston, was crowned Miss Teen USA on Saturday. Immediately the Internet reacted to her use of racial slurs on social media. Via @TheRealKamie Karlie Hay, of Tomball High School near Houston, was crowned Miss Teen USA on Saturday. Immediately the Internet reacted to her use of racial slurs on social media. Via @TheRealKamie Photo: @TheRealKamie Via Twitter Image 4 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 5 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 6 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 7 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 8 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 9 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 10 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 11 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 12 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 13 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 14 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 15 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 16 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 17 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 18 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 19 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 20 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 21 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 22 of 23 Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Tomball's Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Karlie_Hay on Instagram Photo: Instagram Image 23 of 23 Miss Teen USA Karlie Hay, of Texas, criticized for having used racial slurs on Twitter 1 / 23 Back to Gallery 
   
   Moments after Karlie Hay was crowned Miss Teen USA on Saturday in Las Vegas, the Tomball High School senior didn't get the social media reaction and congratulations one would expect. Instead, people searching the 18-year-old on Twitter found a stream of racial slurs on her timeline and began calling her out for it. 
   
   The Houston Chronicle could not immediately confirm independently Hay herself posted numerous tweets including the N-word, however, many Twitter users screengrabbed past exchanges with the former Miss Teen Texas. 
   
   "I admit that I have used language publicly in the past which I am not proud of and that there is no excuse for," Hay posted on Twitter about 2 a.m. Sunday. "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." 
   
   RELATED: Miss Corpus Christi Latina speaks out after being forced to return crown, give up title 
   
   Former Miss Teen USA Kamie Crawford was baffled by the discovery because she couldn't understand why Hay was so ill prepared for media attention. 
   
   "If you win any pageant - first things first. Clean up your page. Because if you're under 21, you shouldn't be drinking and if you're white, the N-word ain't your word," Crawford said on Twitter. 
   
   The Miss Universe Organization released a statement Monday saying that Hay will be allowed to keep her crown. 
   
   "The language Karlie Hay used is unacceptable at any age and in no way reflects the values of The Miss Universe Organization," the organization wrote in a statement. "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. 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." 
   
   According to her interview with E Online, Hay plans to apply at Texas A&M University after graduating from Tomball High School. She says she hopes to become a businesswoman while advocating for people affected by drug and alcohol abuse. 
   
   "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," Hay tweeted Sunday. ||||| Chrissy Teigen has something to say about the 2016 Miss Teen USA competition. 
   
   In case you missed it, Miss Texas Teen Karlie Hay took home the top prize at last night's annual pageant held at the The Venetian Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The 51 ladies competing for the crown were narrowed down to a final five that included Hay's runner-up Miss North Carolina Emily Wakeman, second runner-up Miss South Carolina Marley Stokes, followed by Miss Alabama Erin Snow and Miss Nevada Carissa Morrow. 
   
   So when the Miss Teen USA pageant Twitter account shared a celebratory photo of the top five finishers, Teigen noticed that each competitor shared a few similarities when it came to their looks. 
   
   "Wow how can we choose from such a diverse bunch," the model joked of the potentially eyebrow-raising moment.
target: – Miss Teen USA 2016 was supposed to take a step in the direction of feminism and equal rights as the contest ditched the swimsuits for athletic wear. But in the wee hours following the event that crowned Miss Texas Karlie Hay, the 18-year-old high school senior took to Twitter to do damage control on, well, previous comments on social media. Accused of repeatedly using racial slurs, people began to take screenshots and call her out on it, reports the Houston Chronicle. Hay, her school's varsity cheer captain and yearbook editor, apologized on Twitter at 2am Sunday: "I admit that I have used language publicly in the past which I am not proud of and that there is no excuse for. 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." Former Miss Teen USA Kamie Crawford issued her own message on Twitter: "If you win any pageant—first things first. Clean up your page. Because if you're under 21, you shouldn't be drinking and if you're white, the N-word ain't your word." The Miss Universe Organization, parent company of Miss Teen USA, tells ABC News that while Hay's language was "unacceptable at any age," she will keep her crown because she "learned many lessons through those personal struggles that reshaped her life and values." Meanwhile, E! News reports that model Chrissy Teigen took issue with the final five, who were all white and blond. "Wow how can we choose from such a diverse bunch," she tweeted, later adding, "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."