Kayla Nicole Apologizes for 'Hurtful Tweets,' Deletes X Account

Kayla Nicole is apologizing for "hurtful tweets" she posted on social media back in the day ... and she says she's "ashamed that I ever thought or spoke that way."

In an apology posted Thursday on her Instagram Story, Travis Kelce's ex-girlfriend says her posts were "ignorant, hurtful and completely wrong."

Kayla says it's been "incredibly difficult" seeing her old posts resurface ... in part because she says "the woman I am today would never use those words or express those kinds of views."

She adds ... "Over the years, I've seen firsthand how cruel and harmful online hate can be, and I would never want to add to that world of pain in any form."

Kayla's controversial tweets were mostly homophobic and racist ... and they resurfaced after folks interpreted her Halloween costume as a shot at Travis and his fiancée, Taylor Swift. Kayla denied she was taking a dig at the couple.

Amid the mean tweet backlash, Kayla deleted her X account ... explaining in her apology, "I refuse to keep that energy alive or contribute to a cycle of hate."