ATLANTIC
CITY, N.J. — Dick Clark Productions says it has cut ties with the
Miss America Organization over internal emails by pageant senior
leadership that ridiculed past winners' appearance, intelligence and sex
lives.
The Huffington Post reported Thursday that the Miss America Organization's
CEO, Sam Haskell, exchanged emails with a writer for the televised
pageant and others that included harsh and sometimes vulgar comments
about past winners.
Among
the comments included in the report was a reference to former Miss
Americas using a vulgar term for female genitalia that Haskell indicated
he found to be amusing. Others speculated about how many men one
particular former Miss America had had sex with. That same former title
holder, Mallory Hagan, also was ridiculed over a bathing suit photo in
which she appeared to have gained weight from when she competed in and
won the pageant.
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 was made aware of the emails several months ago.
"We
were appalled by their unacceptable content and insisted, in the
strongest possible terms, that the Miss America Organization board of
directors conduct a comprehensive investigation and take appropriate
action to address the situation," the company said in a statement.
"Shortly thereafter, we resigned our board positions and notified MAO
that we were terminating our relationship with them."
In
its own statement Thursday night, the Miss America Organization said
that Haskell, who earns $500,000 a year as CEO, had apologized to the
board for his comments. The statement did not say if he had apologized
to the women mentioned by name in the emails, or whether such an apology
was conveyed to them.
The
organization said the emails "contain inappropriate language that is
unbecoming at best and is not, in any way, indicative of the character
and integrity of MAO or its representatives. Please note that MAO does
not condone the use of inappropriate language and apologizes for this
situation. The Board of Directors took the allegations very seriously,
investigated them, and considers the matter closed."
Haskell
said he would address the matter on Friday; he did not respond to a
follow-up inquiry as to whether he had apologized directly to the women
named in the emails.
The
comments are in stark contrast to the glowing, supportive statements
Haskell repeatedly made in public about past title winners.
The
Huffington Post article shows that Haskell and others directed
considerable attention to Hagan, who won the 2013 pageant. He forwarded
an email he had been sent regarding Hagan to a writer for the pageant,
who has since been terminated.
The writer responded by questioning whether he and Haskell were part of a tiny group of people who had not had sex with Hagan.
"It appears we are the only ones!" Haskell replied, according to the Huffington Post.
Hagan did not respond to a message from the AP seeking comment Thursday night. She declined comment to the Huffington Post.
___
(AP)
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