Vanessa Williams recently reflected on the scandal that forced her resignation as Miss America. In a new interview, Williams discussed the 1984 incident when nude photos of her were published without consent by Penthouse magazine. Despite the scandal, Williams has had a successful entertainment career.
In 2015, former Miss America CEO Sam Haskell publicly apologized to Williams during the Miss America 2016 pageant. “I’m still here and I’m still standing. I’m still feeling strong,” she told PEOPLE. She also described the immense pressure and shame she felt. “There was a tremendous amount of onus, pressure, shame, judgment. It was global. You can fail quietly, but that was a worldwide fail.”
Vanessa Williams’ Miss America Win
Williams, the first Black woman to win the Miss America title, was celebrated and scrutinized. She recalled feeling naive and vulnerable when the scandal broke. “I look back at my 19-to 20-year-old self and think, ‘Oh my God you were so naive, so trusting, so vulnerable.’”
The controversy will be explored in a limited series with Sony Pictures Television. Williams stated, “This project is incredibly personal to me. There are so many inaccurate and untrue accounts of the events surrounding this period in my life. As a mother and as a Black woman, it is important to me that my truth be told and be documented from my perspective.”
Williams credited her family for their support during the scandal. “Luckily I have a tremendous family,” she said. Reflecting on her children’s perspective, she added, “They’re all older than I was now, but the fact that I became famous at 20 years old relative to their lives and having death threats and having to go through breaking a huge hurdle and what the repercussions of that was. [They’re like] ‘Wow, how did you handle all this mom at 20?’ Then I look back at my twenty year old self and say, ‘My God, I was a baby.’”
Despite the scandal, Williams has thrived in her career. She recently announced a new album, Survivor, and will debut as Miranda Priestly in the London West End adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada. She stated, “To create a role in a new musical has been one of my dreams. I’m doing what I love.”