It has been 31 years since Vanessa Williams gave up her Miss America title amid a nude photo scandal, but now the singer/actress is returning to Atlantic City to act as a judge for the annual beauty pageant.
The Associated Press reports Tuesday (Sept. 8) that Williams has been named head judge for 2016 competition, the finals of which take place live Sunday (Sept. 13). Williams, who was the first African-American Miss America, gave up her 1984 crown after Penthouse published explicit photos of her that were taken several years prior. Sam Haskell, executive chairman and CEO of the Miss America Organization, says he's been working to try to get Williams back involved with the pageant since he became chairman.
"I have been friends with Vanessa for 32 years," Haskell tells the AP. "When the photos were published, there were people urging her to fight, but close supporters knew if she lost that fight that she would be completely removed from the history books.
"Instead of pursuing what would surely have been a long and stressful legal battle, Vanessa decided to resign and focus on her career. … When I became chairman of Miss America, one of the first calls I made was to Vanessa, to try to find a way to get her to come back. Her return as a huge success is a way for us all to move forward and put the past behind us. It's truly an honor to welcome her back to the Miss America Pageant."
Williams joins hosts Chris Harrison and Brooke Burke-Charvet and judges Brett Eldredge, Taya Kyle, Danica McKellar, Kevin O'Leary, Amy Purdy and Zendaya. It airs Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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