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University of Wisconsin–La Crosse chancellor Joe Gow was fired Wednesday for appearing with his wife in pornographic content on at least two websites, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
A statement from the UW system Board of Regents noted that the decision to fire Gow as chancellor was unanimous but did not address his appearance in the videos, referring to the matter only in vague terms.
“Upon my recommendation, the UW Board of Regents today terminated Dr. Joe Gow from his position as chancellor of UW-La Crosse effective immediately. In recent days, we learned of specific conduct by Dr. Gow that has subjected the university to significant reputational harm,” UW system president Jay Rothman said in the statement. “His actions were abhorrent.”
In the same statement, Board of Regents president Karen Walsh accused Gow of showing a “reckless disregard for the role he was entrusted with at UW-La Crosse to serve students, faculty and staff, and the campus community,” adding that the board was “alarmed, and disgusted, by his actions, which were wholly and undeniably inconsistent with his role as chancellor.”
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Gow and his wife, Carmen Wilson, appeared in videos on several pornographic sites and they published two books, under pseudonyms, detailing their experiences in creating adult content. In an interview with the newspaper, Gow said his actions were consensual and protected by the First Amendment.
He also questioned whether he was given due process as part of his termination as chancellor, though he will return to the faculty. In August, Gow announced plans to step down at the end of the academic year after leading La Crosse for 17 years.
In addition to the pornographic videos—some of which remained up as of Thursday morning—Gow and his wife have X and YouTube accounts titled “Sexy Healthy Cooking,” in which they describe themselves as a “passionate plant-powered couple cooking, conversing, and shooting with top adult video stars.” While most posts are recent, the X account was established in 2018.
As news of the scandal spread, the couple’s viewers addressed the controversy.
“I hope they had enough money to retire. Not sure this scandal gets a movie or a book deal!” one user wrote in the comment section under a video of Gow and Wilson on one adult site.
