Kate Dixon, a beauty contestant who was recently crowned Miss Washington Teen USA, is facing backlash after a TikTok user revealed old clips of the 17-year-old using the N-word and other offensive language. The video, posted on Feb. 8, shows the teen using the racial slur while sitting in a car with friends.
"Gang s**t, n***a," the teen can be heard saying in the clip.
The TikTok user also revealed Dixon and a friend lip-syncing along with a sound in the background that made a sexual remark.
“I’m Amber. I only love men when they have money and big c***,” the audio stated.
@juliuspleazerfanaccount I screamed. This happened 2 days ago.
FOX 13 obtained more footage of the teen joking about drug use and bullying.
Speaking with FOX 13, the teen said she was in a car with upperclassmen three years ago when she was pressured into saying the N-word.
"They coerced me into saying a racial slur. I told them ‘no, I don’t want to say that,’" she told the news station. "I know that it’s not appropriate. And they told me ‘you have a free pass just this one time, it would be funny.’ So I decided, after much persuasion, I said the word that they wanted me to say and without my knowledge I was recorded."
Maureen Francisco, the executive producer of Pageants Northwest, an agency that oversees four states in the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA organizations, said the group became aware of the video in Oct. 2020 and spoke to the family about the incident before the teen entered the competition three years ago. Pageants Northwest then decided to let the teen move forward with her application.
"What she did was absolutely unacceptable. But as I shared with you — if our organization is designed to be the best version of yourself and if somebody admits fault to it, has apologized and says ‘hey, I want to work on being the best version of myself, and that’s why I want to be part of your community,’ how do you turn your back away?" Francisco said.
Hannah Merritt, a Black teen who finished as runner-up after competing with Dixon, said she is disappointed with Pageants Northwest.
“As an African American woman who’s walked that stage four times and has the weight of so many little girls on my shoulders, to know that Kate, who will never understand that, won, it’s just really tiring,” Merritt told KIRO 7.
@juliuspleazerfanaccount It’s not about the girl specifically unit the system and what it should represent. The second girl said it well lmk ur thoughts
Dixon said she has learned her lesson.
"I am very deeply sorry," she said. "I have learned my lesson and I have not used that word to this day."
