David Becker/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — After leaked emails showed Miss America CEO Sam Haskell and others using derogatory and sexist language to refer to the pageant contestants, the Miss America organization asked past winners to help create new leadership. But it seems the former Miss Americas aren’t happy with this solution and want nothing less than the entire board’s resignation.
In a Facebook video, Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan says, “These people do not have the best interest of this program at heart, period. These people were presented with these emails and chose to overlook them, did nothing about them, thought this was a big fat nothingburger and voted to keep Sam Haskell and others in leadership in this program. That in and of itself should be enough for them to go.”
Gretchen Carlson, who was crowned in 1989, and Kate Shindle, who earned the title in 1998, both agree with Hagan.
“The new tactic pays lip service to groups of stakeholders, while guaranteeing that the current board will stay on and be able to choose the replacements for those who have resigned,” the women wrote in a statement on Twitter.
The statement goes on to read, “The only solution that will #SaveMissAmerica is the resignation of all current board members…so that a new generation of leadership can step up to secure Miss America’s future.”
Haskell resigned from his position last week after The Huffington Post leaked the derogatory emails. Chairman Lynn Weidner and President and Chief Operating Officer Josh Randle also resigned.
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