Karlie Hay

Karlie Denise Hay (born December 12, 1997) is an American model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Teen USA 2016. She is the first Texan to win the crown since 2011.

Karlie Hay
Born	Karlie Denise Hay (1997-12-12) December 12, 1997 (age 26) Tomball, Texas, U.S.
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Beauty pageant titleholder
Title	Miss Texas Teen USA 2016 Miss Teen USA 2016
Hair color	Blonde
Eye color	Blue
Major competition(s)	Miss Texas Teen USA 2016 (Winner) Miss Teen USA 2016 (Winner)

Early life

Hay was born on December 12, 1997, in Tomball, Texas. As a child, some of her family members dealt with alcoholism and substance abuse.^[1][2][3] She graduated from Tomball High School in 2016, where she was a cheerleader.^[2] Prior to winning Miss Teen USA, Hay was planning on attending Texas A&M University to study business.^[1]

Pageantry

Miss Texas Teen USA 2016

Hay represented Kemah in the Miss Texas Teen USA 2016 pageant. On November 29, 2015, she was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder Chloe Kembel, beating out first runner-up Thekla McCarthy of La Grange.^[4]

Miss Teen USA 2016

On July 30, 2016, Hay was crowned Miss Teen USA 2016 by outgoing titleholder Katherine Haik. She beat out first runner-up Emily Wakeman of North Carolina.^[1][3][5][6]

Controversy

Almost immediately following Hay's crowning as Miss Teen USA 2016, screenshots of her Twitter account dating from 2013 and 2014 were released with Hay repeatedly using the words "nigga" and "nigger". This sparked outrage amongst fans, who accused Hay of racism. Miss Teen USA 2010 Kamie Crawford condemned Hay for not cleaning up her Twitter account prior to becoming a public figure.^[7][8] Hay went on to apologize on her Twitter account for what she calls language that she's "not proud of and that there is no excuse for."^[9][10]

References

1. . pageantsnews.com. Pageants News. July 31, 2016. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
2. "Miss Texas Teen USA 2016". missuniverse.com. Miss Universe Organization. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
3. LaCroix, Emy (July 30, 2016). "Karlie Hay: Stunning Miss Texas Crowned 2016 Winner Of Miss Teen USA". hollywoodlife.com. Hollywood Life.
4. . pageantsnews.com. Pageants News. November 30, 2015. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
5. Weigle, Lauren (July 30, 2016). "Miss Teen USA 2016 Pageant Winner". heavy.com. Heavy.
6. "Karlie Hay From Texas Wins Miss Teen USA 2016". Retrieved July 31, 2016.
7. Provenzano, Brianna (July 31, 2016). "People are dragging Miss Teen USA 2016 Karlie Hay for using the N-word a lot on Twitter". aol.com. AOL News.
8. Miller, Jenni (July 31, 2016). "Wow, Miss Teen USA Karlie Hay Sure Liked to Use the N-Word on Twitter". nymag.com. New York Magazine.
9. Hickson, Ally (July 31, 2016). "Miss Teen USA Winner Karlie Hay Apologizes For Offensive Tweets". refinery29.com. Refinery29.
10. McKenzie, Joi-Marie (July 31, 2016). "Miss Teen USA Winner Karlie Hay Admits To Using Language 'I Am Not Proud Of'". abcnews.go.com. ABC News.

Awards and achievements
Preceded by   Katherine Haik	Miss Teen USA 2016	Succeeded by   Sophia Dominguez-Heithoff
Preceded by Chloe Kembel	Miss Texas Teen USA 2016	Succeeded by Kirby Lindley