Vanessa Williams became the first African-American Miss America in 1983, but was forced to resign the title when nude photos from her past appeared in Penthouse magazine. In 2015, she received a formal apology for her treatment from the Miss America organization and made her triumphant return to the pageant after 32 years.
Miss Teen USA 2016, Karlie Hay, came under fire when social media users uncovered old tweets repeatedly using “the N-word” from what appeared to be her personal Twitter account. Shortly thereafter, the account went private and she apologized, blaming her past use of the slurs on “many personal struggles.”