Earlier this month, Reddit users posted screenshots of posts Earle allegedly made in 2014, which repeatedly included racial slurs. In screenshots of ASKfm posts, a user named “Alixxxxxx” with a profile photo that appears to be Earle commented on several posts using the N-word. ASKfm is a social media platform founded in 2010 that allows users to post and answer questions “anonymously,” though many users comment using their real names and likenesses.

Earle admitted to making the posts on Monday night, posting a statement on her Instagram and TikTok stories.

Earle, the 23-year-old sensation who has amassed nearly 4 million followers on Instagram and more than 7 million on TikTok, blamed her repeated use of the word on her age. She was 13 at the time.

“A few weeks ago, screenshots surfaced from my old ask.fm account that showed me using a swear word in the summer of 2014. I take responsibility and want to make it clear that I was 13 years old and did not understand the deeply offensive meaning behind that word,” Earle said in the statement. “That is no excuse to use that word in any context or at any age. That is absolutely not how I talk or what I stand for.”

But what had fans furious—besides the use of the word itself—was Earle’s silence for so long after the allegations were made. But Earle blamed that choice on bad advice.

“I regret how I handled this situation, letting too many people try to stop me from saying anything for too long,” Earle said in the statement. “I didn’t know how to handle it and unfortunately the advice I was given, while well-intentioned, was misguided.”

Public relations and crisis communications experts said Fortune when the controversy started, that it was indeed a mistake not to address the allegations.

“Alix Earle needs to own up to her mistakes and act quickly: sincerely apologize, demonstrate personal growth, and make it clear that she is committed to learning from this,” Evan Nierman, founder and CEO of crisis PR firm Red Banyan, told Fortune“Ignoring or trivializing the problem would only reinforce the negative reaction and prolong the damage.”

The Alix Earle Effect

Earle, who was long beloved for her “get ready with me” videos, easygoing attitude, Barbie-esque looks and party-hard lifestyle, rose to fame as a freshman at the University of Miami. She has since landed countless brand partnerships, from popular makeup brands like Tarte, Too Faced and Rare Beauty to beverage brands like Poppi, for her “humor, vulnerability, aspiration, relatability and product endorsements,” Janet Balis wrote in Harvard Business Review.

She is also part of the Unwell brand, which features podcasts from Earle (Hot Gang) and Gen Z and millennial demigod Alex Cooper, host of Call her daddy, who just signed a $100 million deal with Sirius XM. According to various media outlets, Earle is now worth an estimated $6 million. During her studies, she earned $5 million in one year, according to ForbesShe is in a relationship with Braxton Berrios, a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins.

Earle is one of those influencer figures that many adore and admire, but also one that people love to hate and hate to love. She has attracted attention from people outside of her demographic, whether it be for parody or admiration. That’s why these screenshots have the internet talking, although some people weren’t shocked by the comments she’s made in the past.

“That Alix Earle is racist is not surprising, but still disappointing,” one user posted on X on August 6.

“By not responding to this, my silence has allowed others to fill the void with rumors that are simply not true,” Earle said in her statement. “One rumor in particular is that I have attempted to trademark my old posts, which is absolutely ridiculous and untrue. Another rumor is that a brand has announced that they will no longer be working with me, even though we have never discussed a partnership with them in any capacity.”

However, some people are not satisfied with Earle’s apology, arguing that it was aimed at the wrong cause.

“She clearly seems more upset by the rumors at the end than by what she herself said,” one Reddit user wrote.

“Regardless of what is being said online, I wanted to come here and state the facts and, more importantly, apologize,” Earle said in the statement.