Vanessa Williams, who was crowned Miss America in 1984, voluntarily gave up her title after pageant officials discovered n^de and s**ually explicit photographs of her in Penthouse magazine.
As a result, Suzette Charles, the first runner-up in last year’s Miss New Jersey competition, assumed the position of Miss America for the remaining two months of Williams’ reign.
Both Williams and Charles are African American.
At a press conference held at the Sheraton Centre hotel in Manhattan, Williams, aged 21, expressed her determination to fight the allegations.
However, she acknowledged the potential harm to the pageant and the division it may cause, leading her to reluctantly relinquish her title as Miss America.
Williams admitted that facing up to her past mistakes is one thing, but having to share them with the American public and the world at large is devastating.
Pageant director Al Marks confirmed that Williams would still receive her full $25,000 Miss America scholarship and would be allowed to keep the $125,000 she earned from personal appearances.
Additionally, Charles, who originally received $17,000 as the first runner-up, would now be awarded a prize of $25,000.
Williams, a resident of Millwood in Westchester County, New York, was asked by pageant officials to resign or face the possibility of being stripped of her title due to her involvement in posing n^de and engaging in s**ually explicit acts with another woman.
These photos were published in the September edition of Penthouse magazine, which hit newsstands on Sunday.
Williams clarified that the photographs were taken in July 1982 by her former employer, photographer Tom Chiapel of Mount Kisco, New York, who sold them to Penthouse for an undisclosed sum.
She vehemently denied consenting to their publication but declined to comment on whether she planned to take legal action against Chiapel or Penthouse.
According to Williams, Chiapel assured her that the photographs would not reveal her identity as she was captured in silhouette.
She agreed to pose under the belief that the images would remain confidential.
However, upon learning of their publication and the pageant’s request for her resignation, Williams expressed shock, surprise, and deep personal embarrassment upon viewing the explicit photos in Penthouse.
Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione contradicted Williams’ claims, alleging that she willingly participated in the photo shoot.
He stated that she signed a release and was not coerced into posing nude.
Guccione also placed responsibility on Williams, arguing that she had an obligation to inform pageant officials about the potentially embarrassing situation.
During her press conference, Williams emphasized her desire to avoid tarnishing the Miss America title in any way.
Throughout her reign, she believed she upheld the positive qualities associated with the title to the best of her abilities.
However, due to the controversy surrounding her, she acknowledged the difficulties she would face in making public appearances as Miss America.
Wearing a dark blue dress with short sleeves, a black, white, and gray striped scarf, and a string of pearls around her neck, Williams revealed her plans to focus on building a successful career in the entertainment industry.
Following her announcement, Williams’ photograph was removed from the wall at the pageant’s Atlantic City office, where it previously hung alongside those of other Miss Americas.
Charles’ installment as the new Miss America took place privately, without public attendance, and was described as modest and dignified by Marks.
After Williams stepped down, the pageant board unanimously voted for Charles to assume the title.
Marks congratulated her by kissing her on the cheek and officially declaring her the new Miss America.
Expressing mixed emotions given the circumstances, Charles, aged 21 and hailing from Mays Landing, regarded her new role as both wonderful and unfortunate.
However, she remained optimistic and vowed to represent Miss America in the best light possible.
Marks praised Williams for fulfilling her duties and responsibilities as Miss America in an exemplary manner, describing her as a lovely person.
However, he emphasized that had she not resigned, the controversy surrounding the explicit photographs could have potentially destroyed the pageant.
