On the new A&E series, Miss America’s secretsThe main players in the explosive emails made public in 2017 that led to the resignation of the competition’s CEO explained what led to this moment and how it affected them afterward.
The new four-part series promises to take viewers behind the scenes with a look at the inner workings of the long-running franchise with over 20 former contestants speaking out.
Monday’s first episode featured former Miss America Mallory Hagan, who discussed her allegations that she was bullied, body-shamed and slut-shamed by former Miss America CEO Sam Haskell, as well as some of his colleagues.
Hagan set the stage for what will be shown later in a series of leaked emails, explaining how she first heard about some of the hateful things that were said about her and the general culture that had been created. within the organization. The mistreatment and subsequent sabotage of her career she suffered at the hands of Haskell pushed her into a dark place.
“There were a lot of times when I didn’t want to be here anymore,” Hagan said on the show. “But I would say the worst moment was, I drank a lot of alcohol and stood on top of my building. And if it hadn’t been for my relationship with my parents, I probably would have made a very different decision than mine.
Instead, what happened was that in 2017, a whistleblower named Brent Adams, who was Hagan’s ex-boyfriend and also a former Haskell employee, leaked emails internals that showed Haskell poking fun at past contest winners’ looks, intelligence, and sex lives. The messages were printed by Huffpo.
“I wanted people to understand who they were dealing with,” Hagan said of Haskell and the emails.
The series also drew reactions from a few other former Miss Americas about Haskell’s leaked emails and lyrics.
Kirsten Haglund, Miss America 2008: “Like all other Miss Americas, I stood up and defended this man as the savior of this organization for so many years. And by then, I was almost completely done with the organization.
Angela Perez Baraquio, Miss America 2001: “To see it in writing was just shocking because I didn’t expect that from him. Being protective of sisterhood was like, ‘What? That was said about our sisters? And of course, all of the Miss Americas were up in arms.
Betty Maxwell, Miss America 2016: “It was almost like I was a prisoner and your captor finally gets caught and you’re finally allowed to say, ‘Hey, let me tell you everything this guy did.'”
The emails also included specific language showing how Haskell targeted Hagan’s pageant coaching business and attempted to obstruct it. After the messages leaked, some of the top executives, including Haskell, eventually resigned. A statement from Haskell that was shown in the Monday Miss America’s secretsread as follows:
“Much of what has been reported is dishonest, misleading and despicable. The material is based on private emails that have been stolen […] by former employees. Those who know my heart know that this is not indicative of my character, nor of my business acumen. I had the greatest respect for the women in this program and the candidates at all levels.
Building new leadership in the years since the emails has been a bit of a roller coaster, including the arrival and departure of former Miss Americas Regina Hopper and Gretchen Carlson. The latest change came in January when Robin Fleming was named the new CEO. And in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter recently she responded to Miss America’s secretsand specifically Haskell emails. “I hope Miss America is some kind of mirror [for] America. And obviously, [when Haskell was CEO] it was pretty much the #MeToo era – women standing up and saying, “Hey, men sitting in these positions of power are abusing their power”. I think it’s a story that people can relate to because they’ve heard it before and there have been ongoing conversations, obviously, about it,” Fleming told THR.
Miss America’s secrets airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on A&E.