Getty Images/TwitterMiss Teen USA just crowned the 2016 winner on Saturday at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas: Miss Teen Texas, Karlie Hay.
But she didn't get to celebrate for long. Just hours after accepting her title, the new Miss Teen USA found herself in the midst of a scandal.
Tweets from Hay's Twitter account resurfaced from 2013 and 2014 in which she used the N-word and racial slurs multiple times.
The 18-year-old quickly released a statement to explain herself. "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 wrote on Instagram. "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."
But Hay isn't alone in finding herself in the middle of controversy. Check out 6 more of the biggest scandals surrounding the Miss Teen USA pageant:
Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2007, Caitlin Upton: The pageant contestant came under harsh scrutiny after giving a fumbled interview answer during the 2007 pageant.
When asked why some Americans might not be able to identify their country on a map, Upton responded, "I personally believe U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some people out there in our nation do not have maps and, uh, I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as. I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, or, uh, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future."
The backlash was so bad, Upton revealed she contemplated suicide at one point.
Miss Teen Delaware 2013, Melissa King: The brunette resigned from her reign as Miss Teen Delaware in 2013 after her alleged sex tape surfaced. While she denied the woman in the film was her, she gave up her tiara shortly after the scandal.
Miss Teen Louisiana 2008, Lindsey Evans: The teen pageant queen made headlines after she was caught dining and dashing at a restaurant and leaving a bag of marijuana behind.
Today.com reported that Evans skipped out on a $46 restaurant tab, leaving her purse behind with a bag of marijuana inside. Recreational use of marijuana in Louisiana was (and still is) illegal, which is what led to her eventually losing her crown.
Miss Teen USA 2013, Cassidy Wolf: The blonde beauty from California found herself in the middle of a sextortion case in 2013.
A person from her high school broke into her computer and remotely turned on her webcam, capturing her most personal moments in her bedroom. He then blackmailed and extorted the photos and videos. Eventually, investigators found him, and he confessed to the wrongdoings.
Swimsuit Scandal: Ahead of the 2016 Miss Teen USA, the Miss Universe officials announced that they would be eliminating the swimsuit portion of the competition, which had received backlash for featuring the 14 to 19-year-old teens in very little clothing. It was also criticized due to the purpose of the pageant, which is to award scholarships to young women who "lead active, purposeful lives."
Thus, the pageant replaced it with athleisure wear in hopes of showing their support for feminism and equality.
These are your TOP 5 #MissTeenUSA contestants! pic.twitter.com/qi3KJT6COb
— Karlie Hay (@MissTeenUSA) July 31, 2016
Lack of Diversity in the 2016 Top 5: The controversy surrounding Hay aside, the 2016 Miss Teen USA pageant also saw backlash due to the lack of diversity in the top 5 finalists of the night: Hay, Miss North Carolina Emily Wakeman, second runner-up Miss South Carolina Marley Stokes, Miss Alabama Erin Snow and Miss Nevada Carissa Morrow.
Chrissy Teigen was one of the many people to point out the issue on Twitter, sharing a photo of the five blonde-haired, blue eyed women, writing, "Wow how can we choose from such a diverse bunch."