Three Miss America Organization leaders have resigned following an email scandal in which vulgar, offensive language was used to describe former Miss America contestants, USA TODAY confirmed Saturday.
The resignation of executive chairman and CEO Sam Haskell, who was suspended from the organization Friday as he was put under investigation, will be effective immediately, according to statements received by USA TODAY from interim chairman Dan Meyers.
The board further accepted the resignation of chairman Lynn Weidner and president and COO Josh Randle. The two will remain in their current positions for several more weeks in order to "facilitate a smooth transition," according to Meyers' statements.
The organization said its board of directors accepted Randle's resignation Saturday "in light of recent events and new developments."
The Miss America organization was rocked following the release of internal emails published on the Huffington Post Thursday. The messages showed offensive language Haskell used to describe 2013 Miss America Mallory Hagan — describing her as "fat and gross" in one note.
In another released exchange from August 2014, Haskell received an email that said Hagan’s hairdresser had been commenting on Hagan’s sex life, as well as her recent weight gain.