The Regents of the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse (UW-La Crosse) have fired its chancellor, Joe Gow after they found him uncomfortable producing pornographic content with his wife, former UW-La Crosse professor Carmen Wilson.
In a statement released by the university, it said that the regents voted unanimously during a hastily convened closed-door meeting on Wednesday and that university system president Jay Rothman recommended his sacking "effective immediately."
"In recent days, we learned of specific conduct by Dr. Gow that has subjected the university to significant reputational harm," Rothman added in the statement. "His actions were abhorrent."
Betsy Morgan replaced Gow as interim chancellor, the statement further stated. Rothman would also recommend to Morgan to have Gow's tenure as a faculty member reviewed.
An external law firm was also tapped to help with the investigation, the university said.
UW System Regent President Karen Walsh also said that Gow "has shown a reckless disregard" for his role as UW-La Crosse chancellor.
"We are alarmed, and disgusted, by his actions, which were wholly and undeniably inconsistent with his role as chancellor," she added.
Gow Defends Creating Sexual Content
Meanwhile, Gow told the Associated Press on Thursday (December 28) that regents have discovered that he and Wilson had been producing and appearing in pornographic videos.
He further maintained that he never mentioned UW-La Crosse or his role at the university in any of the videos and that his termination violated his free speech rights.
"My wife and I live in a country where we have a First Amendment," he said. "We're dealing with consensual adult sexuality. The regents are overreacting. They're certainly not adhering to their own commitment to free speech or the First Amendment."
Gow initially raised eyebrows in 2018 after he invited porn actor Nina Hartley to speak on campus and paid her $5,000 out of student fees to appear. The then-UW system president Ray Cross reprimanded him for his actions, while the regents refused to give him a raise that year.
Gow and Wilson have a YouTube channel called "Sexy Healthy Cooking," where the couple cooked meals with porn actors. The couple also wrote at least two e-books under pseudonyms, CBS reported.
