Miss America Leadership Resigns Amid Email Scandal Three officials have stepped down including: CEO Sam Haskell, COO Josh Randle and Chairman Lynn Weidner. The men resigned after they were implicated in emails that contained vulgar language to describe pageant participants. The scandal unfolded on Thursday after Huffington Post published the leaked emails. Forty nine pageant winners came forward to condemn the organization's behavior. “We stand firmly against harassment, bullying and shaming – especially of women – through the use of derogatory terms meant to belittle and demean." Pageant Winners