Miss America leaked emails controversy

On September 1921, Margaret Gorman, a sixteen-year-old student, made history after being crowned the inaugural Miss America. Many past holders of the crown have gone on to make significant contributions to the society and have worked on various issues from civil rights, veteran affairs to women empowerment. The Miss America Organization (MAO) is presently the largest provider of scholarships to women in the country, and the pageant was named as the ‘Top Ten pieces of true Americana remaining in our country today’ by USA Today.

It has been 96 years since the first crowning took place, and with its rich history and legacy, it came as a shock when email conversations between board members and senior management team of MAO were leaked which showed extensive use of vulgar languages, inappropriate and sexist comments about the past crown winners. The content of the emails were first published by Huffington post on 21^st December 2017, and exposed how some of the board members like Tammy Haddad were complicit by not discouraging this type of behaviour, and were instead instrumental in wrecking the career of some past winners like Mallory Hagan, 2013’s winner, and calling many of them as malcontents and has been, who don’t have the class, smarts or model  required to succeed.

At the center of this leaked email controversy is Sam Haskell, who has been the CEO of MAO since 2005, and was instrumental in bringing back the struggling and fund-crunched MAO back on its feet by securing partnership deals and fees with ‘Dick Clark productions’ by selling the rights to broadcast television, in return for two board seats at the MAO. But, given the email exchanges of Haskell with the lead pageant writer, Lewis Friedman, where the use of vulgar and inappropriate languages was used extensively, it is hard to fathom the display of such an attitude towards the crown winners.

In one such email exchange when Haskell asked Friedman to change the script to refer the past winners from ‘Forever Miss Americas’ to ‘Former Miss Americas’, Friedman replied “I’d already changed “Forevers” to “Cunts.” Does that work for you?” and Haskell replied, “Perfect...bahahaha.” This was not the only instance where such inappropriate exchanges happened between them, and name-calling and slut-shaming of past crown winners were among the many contents of the leaked emails. Kate Shindle, 1998's winner, had written a book in which she had questioned Haskell compensation and alleged blacklisting of those who went against him. In a show of disdain towards her, Haskell laughed at a condolence email by Friedman to him on the death of former Miss America ‘Mary Ann Mobley’ with the subject line suggesting that ‘it should have been Kate Shindle’.

Even before the public leak of these emails, the board at MAO were made aware of it, and ‘Dick Clark productions’ had decided to end its agreement with MAO because of the board’s refusal to take action against those responsible for these disturbing emails. Post leak of the emails on Thursday, forty-nine former crown winners, in an open letter, called for top-level resignations at MAO, and Haskell was suspended on Friday by the board. By Saturday, three top-level executives had resigned which includes CEO Sam Haskell, President Josh Handle, and board member Lynn Weidner. Dan Meyers was named the interim chairman of the board till the time a smooth transition takes place.