Three former Miss Americas who were attacked and mocked in leaked emails from the pageant’s CEO were joined by nearly four dozen other title holders in calling on Sam Haskell and other organization leaders to resign in the wake of the scandal.
The Huffington Post reported on Thursday that Haskell regularly exchanged expletive-ridden emails, in which he or others slut-shamed and name-called former title winners.
In the emails, which the paper says it received from two sources. CEO Sam Haskell frequently used shocking and sexually-explicit terms to refer to contestants, including 2013 winner Mallory Hagan and Gretchen Carlson, the former Fox News host who won the pageant in 1989.
Hagan’s weight gain and allegedly promiscuous sex life were derided in the correspondence in harsh terms.
‘My hope is that this story that broke will bring light to the type of behavior that’s been in leadership of the Miss America Organization and really help us put in place some people who care and who embody the mission of Miss America,’ Hagan said. ‘Having somebody bully you, demean you, degrade you in any way is not OK.’
In leaked emails, Miss America CEO Sam Haskell frequently used shocking and sexually-charged terms to refer to contestants, including 2013 winner Mallory Hagan (left) and Gretchen Carlson (right), the ex-Fox News anchor who won the pageant in 1989
‘Resign now’: Carlos tweeted that she was shocked by Haskell’s statements and called for his immediate ouster from the organization
In response to a follower’s tweet suggesting that Hagan should take responsibility for her actions, the former pageant winner argued that Haskell had no right to discuss her sex life
Speaking to Newsweek Friday, Hagan said she is considering taking legal action against Haskell.
In some exchanges, a former writer for the pageant notes the death of one former Miss America, and muses that he wished it had been 1998 Miss America Kate Shindle that had died instead. Shindle wrote a book critical of the Miss America Organization. Haskell responded to the email, indicating it made him laugh.
Hagan posted an emotional video on Twitter decrying the leaked emails in which she was slut-shamed and derided
‘The entire board of directors must immediately resign, including and especially Sam Haskell,’ Shindle wrote in a statement posted on Twitter, adding that ‘it [the content of the emails] makes me physically ill.’
And Haskell wrote of tactics that would drive 1989 Miss America Carlson ‘insane.’
The Huffington Post reported that the former Fox & Friends co-host had clashed with Haskell and pageant officials over her push to modernize the organization, and her refusal to attack other former Miss America winners.
Carlson wrote on Twitter that any board member or official who tolerated such conduct should resign immediately.
‘No woman should be demeaned with such vulgar slurs,’ she wrote.
Carlson, Hagan and Shindle have received the support of 46 fellow Miss America winners dating back to the 1940s, who on Friday signed an open letter demanding that Haskell and other pageant executives step down over their ‘despicable’ condcut, reported The Huffington Post.
Among the signatories were Miss America 1948 BeBe Shopp Waring and this year’s winner, Savvy Shields. Every woman who was crowned Miss America from 1988 until 2017 joined the call for the leadership’s ouster.
In 2014, the 1998 winner Kate Shindle (pictured) wrote a book in which she questioned the Miss America board’s decision to pay Haskell a $500,000 consulting fee. In an email to Haskell giving his condolences on a past winner’s death, telewriter Lewis Friedman wrote as the email subject: ‘It should have been Kate Shindle’
Shindle released a statement on Twitter demanding that Haskell and the entire Board of Directors immediately resign
The Miss America Organization said Thursday night that Haskell, 62, has apologized, and that the group is revising its policies regarding communications, adding it considers the matter closed.
On Friday, Atlantic City’s incoming Democratic mayor, Frank Gilliam Jr., and two state Assemblymen – Republican Chris Brown and Democrat Vince Mazzeo – called on the state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority to end its partial subsidy of the pageant, which has about $4million left on it.
The emails have cost the pageant its television production partner and raised questions about the future of the nationally televised broadcast from Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall the week after Labor Day each year.
Dick Clark Productions told The Associated Press Thursday night that it cut ties with the Miss America Organization over the emails, calling them ‘appalling.’
Sam Haskell’s leaked email exchanges at times took on the entire pageant community.
Haskell (pictured, September 2017) has apologized for his statements, according to the Miss America Organization
In an August 2014 email to a prominent Miss America telecast writer, Haskell said that he wanted to stop calling former contestants ‘Forever Miss Americas’ and instead refer to them as ‘Former Miss Americas.’
‘I’d already changed “Forevers!” to “c***s”. Does that work for you?’ the writer, Lewis Friedman, responded.
Haskell replied: ‘Perfect… bahahaha.’
The comments are in stark contrast to the glowing, supportive statements Haskell repeatedly made in public about past title winners.
In the summer of 2014, Haskell forwarded an email to other executives from someone he knew who had commented about Mallory Hagan’s sex life and recent weight gain.
‘Not a single day passes that I am not told some horrible story about Mallory,’ Haskell wrote.
Friedman replied: ‘As she continue to destroy her own credibility, her voice will attract less and less notice while she continues her descent to an unhappy pathetic footnote…Ps. Are we four the only ones not to have f****d Mallory?’
‘It appears we are the only ones!’ Haskell wrote, adding that he told the mother of a man Hagan had supposedly slept with that ‘he needs to have a blood test because we lost count of the number of men she slept with at 25.’
Later, Hagan was publicly fat-shamed for a bikini photo that surfaced showing that she had gained some weight after the pageant. Haskell said nothing publicly about the images at the time but fat-shamed her internally.
In the summer of 2014, Haskell wrote in an email that he and another executive were the only ones who hadn’t slept with Mallory Hagan (pictured, March 2013)
Later, Hagan was publicly fat-shamed for a bikini photo that surfaced (not pictured). Haskell said nothing publicly about the images at the time but fat-shamed her internally
Another incident involved former Fox News host Gretchen Carslon. In August 2014, Miss American board member Lynn Weidner sent an email to a group of former Miss Americas, including Carlson.
The email concerned a book 1998 Miss American winner Kate Shindle wrote in which she questioned the Miss America board’s decision to pay Haskell a $500,000 consulting fee.
Weidner asked: ‘Is it possible for each of you to speak out in defense of Sam and the organization?”
Carlson replied: ‘It’s one thing to talk about your own personal experience as Miss America… but totally different to attack people individually.’
Haskell forwarded Carlson’s response to board member Tammy Haddad, who replied to Haskell: ‘Snake but now u have not doubts as to her loyalty. Makes it easy not to respond. Right?’
Just before Shindle’s book came out, Haddad emailed Haskell and referenced an email former Miss America Susan Powell wrote that was supportive of Haskell.
Miss America board members Tammy Haddad (left) and Lynn Weidner (right) were the recipients and senders of some of the emails exchanged with Haskell
Haddad suggested: ‘Why don’t u read [former Miss America] susan POWELL’s email on the board call and say it’s a shame that only one miss america who has come forward to offer help in any way.’ Haddad was referring to an email Powell had written that was supportive of Haskell.
Haskell replied: ‘Brilliant…..f*****g Brilliant!!!! That will drive Gretchen INF*****GSANE.’
In a further attack on Shinldle, Friedman emailed Haskell in December 2014 to offer his condolences on the death of former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley, writing: ‘So sorry to hear about Mary Ann Mobley.’
The subject line of Friedman’s email read: ‘It should have been Kate Shindle.’
Following the release of the open letter on Friday, Tammy Haddad resigned from the board.