Vanessa Williams, Most Successful Miss America Forced to Resign

About this episode

The episode discusses Vanessa Williams' historic win as the first Black Miss America, her resignation due to explicit photos, and her subsequent career.

Vanessa Williams, one of the most recognizable stars of her generation, started her career in the public eye as the first Black Miss America. We're discussing her historic win in 1984 - the impact and the backlash - and the road that got her into pageants. With just seven weeks left in her reign, explicit photos that she had taken years prior were sold to Penthouse. When the news broke of their publication, she was given just 72 hours to respond. We'll discuss the lawsuit, her massive career post-Miss America, and the organization's apology in 2015. Find me everywhere: linktr.ee/literallylaurad Time stamps: 00:00 Overview 01:42 Youth 03:55 Miss America: The Weight of the Crown 06:24 The Photographs 09:52 Resignation + Lawsuit 13:35 The Comeback! 15:38 The Apology 18:14 My Takeaways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Laura D.

Topics covered

• Vanessa Williams
• Miss America
• pageants
• resignation
• lawsuit
• career comeback
• apology

Keywords

• Vanessa Williams
• Miss America
• resignation
• lawsuit
• Penthouse
• career comeback
• apology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Miss America, Penthouse

More episodes of Characters

• Love Island USA Week 2 with Jackson Strike · June 11, 2026 · 23 min
• Marilyn and Ella Fitzgerald · June 9, 2026 · 10 min
• Love Island USA Premiere Recap! · June 5, 2026 · 11 min
• Marilyn Monroe and Playboy: the magazine she did not consent to launching · June 2, 2026 · 25 min
• Love Island USA S8: Cast, Predictions, + More! · May 29, 2026 · 19 min
• VS Angels Across America: A Fashion Show for the Masses · May 26, 2026 · 25 min