How Vanessa Williams Endured Her Miss America Scandal | Oprah’s Master Class | Oprah Winfrey Network

How Vanessa Williams Endured Her Miss America Scandal | Oprah’s Master Class | Oprah Winfrey Network

Win Your Next Pageant

Get Pageant Questions Written By A Miss Universe Judge








Before Vanessa Williams dreamed of becoming Miss America, a photographer asked if he could take nude photos of her and another woman. Vanessa says she believed him when he said no one would ever see the pictures. After she was crowned, the photos surfaced in Penthouse magazine and Vanessa was forced to resign from her title with just six weeks left in her Miss America reign. She describes her biggest fear during the ordeal and what stopped her from filing a lawsuit against Penthouse.Tune in Sundays at 10/9c. For more on #masterclass, visit

Find OWN on TV at

#OWNTV #masterclass #Oprahwinfrey
SUBSCRIBE:

Download the Watch OWN App:

About Oprah’s Master Class:
The acclaimed, Emmy-nominated series “Oprah’s Master Class” tells the stories you’ve never heard from the people you thought you knew best. Hand-picked by Oprah Winfrey for their unique impact on the world, true modern masters from Academy Award-winning actors, to Grammy-winning musicians, to ground-breaking athletes, share the greatest lessons they’ve learned along the way. In an intimate setting, they share their successes, their failures, their triumphs, disappointments and heartbreaks.

About OWN:
Oprah Winfrey Network is the first and only network named for, and inspired by, a single iconic leader. Oprah Winfrey’s heart and creative instincts inform the brand — and the magnetism of the channel.

Winfrey provides leadership in programming and attracts superstar talent to join her in primetime, building a global community of like-minded viewers and leading that community to connect on social media and beyond. OWN is a singular destination on cable. Depth with edge. Heart. Star power. Connection. And endless possibilities.

See also  Pushpika de Silva goes to the 2022 Miss World pageant -2022 ලෝක රූ රැජින තරගයට ගිය පුෂ්පිකා ද සිල්වා

Discover OWN TV:
Find OWN on your TV!:
Our Fantastic Lineup:

Connect with OWN Online:
Visit the OWN WEBSITE:
Like OWN on FACEBOOK:
Follow OWN on TWITTER:
Follow OWN on INSTAGRAM:
Follow OWN on PINTEREST:

How Vanessa Williams Endured Her Miss America Scandal | Oprah’s Master Class | Oprah Winfrey Network
..(read more at source)



ON SALE: Pageant Resale

GET 365 FREE: Pageant Questions

VIEW MORE: Miss America Videos

LEARN ABOUT OTHER: Beauty Pageants

About the author: Pageant Coach

Related Posts

35 Comments

  1. Vanessa got the ultimate revenge. She ended up having a successful lucrative multifaceted career, she’s an icon, she’s won awards, and now her issue of penthouse is illegal to own.

  2. Who is the photographer pos? And who was responsible to published those photos? Did penthouse ever apologize to her? Payed her compensation for that?

  3. It seems so tame today. However, it was a huge scandal at the time. She shut up her critics by proving how talent and perseverance triumphs adversity. I saw her in person, and to this day, she is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Great singer too.

  4. As horrible as it was, it was the best thing that could have happened to her. Had the photos not been released she would have faded into obscurity like all the other winners. She has turned incredible hardship into a stellar career. Her strength, courage and dignity are to be commended.

  5. All but 6 weeks was completed of her reign…this made her famous and look at the body of work she has given to us. I love her…anytime one sees her…in a music video, an interview, a photo, TV commercial…we all stop and pay attention to her…and what a brilliant actress!

  6. Vanessa Williams, sis, YOU ROCK!!! They tried to shame you and tear you down. But look at you, still standing, still successful, beautiful family, not to mention a LOOOOONNNG career, actress, recording artists and so much more. Have always been very proud of you and rooted for you!

  7. Its a beauty pageant (she should of won) but the world is unjust, they will let a transgendered white forgiener or white woman win in America, but a natural beauty like Vanessa they strip her title from her! No one should want to be MISS World especially since they are unfair.

  8. I don't care
    Bring it all out.
    Ms. O – are you for black people or against them?
    Sometimes its not clear.

    I mention not interested in fame and money and this pops up conveniently on top of EVERYONE else including the old rich white elite business owner in love with money – BILL GATES!

    The stereotype privileged white men have done more for me than some of MY people.

    You forget Gigi and her friends including Trudeau have been leaking details about me to media including my medical information etc…

    Because I don't care about fame, I don't care for being liked and I don't give 2 thoughts to malicious gossip about me. They have been doing it for up to 2yrs now. They even stole my house, locked me out with all my property in it, to do nothing else but look for dirt.

    I guess people are just different. The more you tell me not, the more I will pursue it. And because I don't have these need to be liked – I come across as an alien to most. Especially in this like, like, like me world of today. Everyone is desperate to be LIKED – I don't give a damn.

    Thank you🙏 for the advise though

    Not proof read

  9. Had it been Gigi – the world would have corrupted every institution to save her the embarrassment as Jussie Smollet being paraded before us back and forth to court.

    It was all quickly

    Gigi I has been lying longer than Jussie was caught and convicted for lying.

    Not proof read

  10. Ms.Williams' choice to "give up" the fight was the bravest thing she did– it takes more courage to stop a fight than to leave it. She has long proven all her detractors WRONG; they cannot keep a good woman down. VLW admitted her mistakes and not only corrected and made up for them but, more so, rose above these and became one of the most successful women in pageant history. That's a REAL STRONG WOMAN.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *