Miss Teen USA Karlie Hay On Racial Slurs Controversy: 'It�s Something I�m Ashamed Of'

Karlie Hay makes her way out of the ABC Studios in New York City on Tuesday (August 2).

The 18-year-old new Miss Teen USA made her first television appearance after winning the crown and after being at the center of a controversy. Tweets from 2013 surfaced just after Karlie was crowned of her using the N-word with her friends.

“I am very sorry. It’s embarrassing. It’s something I’m ashamed of and I’ve grown up from that 15-year-old girl who used that type of language,” she shared on Good Morning America. “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.”

Karlie added, “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.”

Despite the backlash, the Miss Universe Organization will let Karlie keep her crown.

WATCH: @GMA EXCLUSIVE: Newly-crowned Miss Teen USA 2016 speaks out, addressing offensive tweets. https://t.co/ke5f6zYX0O

— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 2, 2016

25+ pics inside of Karlie Hay…