After three decades, Vanessa Williams is returning to the Miss America pageant, only this time as a judge.
Williams has officially joined the judging panel for the 95th Miss America pageant, and she'll be making history, according to the press release. Williams, who is not only an award-winning actress and singer, but one of the "most respected and multi-faceted performers in entertainment today," will be joining six other celebrity judges, including Zendaya, Brett Eldregde, Amy Purdy, Taya Kyle, Danica McKellar and Kevin O'Leary.
Back in 1984, the 52-year-old former beauty queen was the first African-American woman to be given the crown at the competition until she was forced to resign 10 months later when her nude photos from Penthouse made their way into the public eye.
"We recognize that Vanessa's return to Miss America on Sunday, September 13th is a special cultural and television moment," Dick Clark Productions President Mika Mahan said. "We are both honored and excited that she will take center stage for the 95th Anniversary of this competition."
Executive Chairman and CEO Sam Haskell explained that he is honored to welcome her back as their Head Judge and that he and Williams have been friends for more than 30 years. Back when those photos were published, she made the decision herself to "resign and focus on her career."
"Vanessa's career speaks for itself, with all the success that she has had," Haskell told the Associated Press. "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."
Just a few years ago, Williams opened up about how horrible the aftermath of the incident was on her life. "For years, I'd walk into an audition and feel the judgment," she told People in 2012. "I was a scandalous Miss America. Vanessa the Undressa. But I silently thought, one day you'll see what I'm made of."
See Williams return to the competition when it airs live on ABC this Sunday Sept. 13 at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall.
