Sunday’s broadcast of the Miss America Pageant will make news beyond the winner among 52 contestants: Vanessa Williams is back.
“Vanessa Williams made history by becoming the first African-American to win the competition when she was crowned Miss America 1984, and she went on to conquer the worlds of music, Broadway, television, and film,” said Sam Haskell, CEO of the Miss America Organization. “It is a great honor to welcome her back to the competition as our head judge.”
Mike Mahan, president of dick clark productions, said: “We recognize that Vanessa’s return to Miss America on Sunday, September 13th is a special cultural and television moment. We are both honored and excited that she will take center stage for the 95th Anniversary of the competition.”
Oh how the years go by… back to Convention Hall after 32 years to judge the #MissAmerica pageant this Sunday night at 9|8c on ABC.
— Vanessa Williams (@VWOfficial) September 8, 2015
She resigned her title after Penthouse magazine published sexually explicit photos of her taken several years earlier.
Since her debut release with, “The Right Stuff” in 1988, Vanessa Williams has sold over 7 million records worldwide, and has scored numerous #1 and Top 10 hits on various Billboard Album and Singles charts: Pop, Dance, R&B, Adult Contemporary, Holiday, Latin, Gospel and Jazz.
A strong advocate for equal rights, especially concerning the gay community and minorities, Williams was honored with the Human Rights Campaign “Ally for Equality” Award for her humanitarian contributions. She also got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.
Her autobiography, “You Have No Idea,” co-written with her mother Helen Williams, was a New York Times Best Seller in 2012. Vanessa returned to Broadway in the spring of 2014 for a special limited engagement in the musical “After Midnight.”
She also costarred with Cicely Tyson and Cuba Gooding, Jr in “The Trip To Bountiful,” which was the No. 1 play of the 2013 Broadway season.
Vanessa is the mother of four — Melanie, Jillian, Devin and Sasha — and continues to live in Westchester County, New York – not far from where she grew up.
Full circle! Vanessa Williams, who resigned as #MissAmerica in 1984, will judge 2015 pageant http://t.co/L4A2bbxVj8 pic.twitter.com/HQGvHgKQ8L
— People magazine (@people) September 8, 2015
Excited Vanessa Williams, 1st African-Am crowned #MissAmerica, is returning 2 @MissAmericaOrg pageant! She opened door 4 women like me 2 win
— Erika Harold (@_ErikaHarold) September 8, 2015
3 decades after she gave up the Miss America crown amid a nude scandal, Vanessa Williams is returning to the pageant http://t.co/n5vxqdM1aM
— Page Six (@PageSix) September 8, 2015