Wis. official fired for starring in porn videos

MADISON, Wis. — Former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse chancellor Joe Gow said Thursday that the school’s governing board fired him because members were uncomfortable with him and his wife producing and appearing in pornographic videos.

The Universities of Wisconsin’s board of regents, which oversees UW-Madison, UW-La Crosse, and 11 other regional campuses, voted unanimously during a hastily convened closed meeting Wednesday evening to fire Gow.

After the vote, Universities of Wisconsin president Jay Rothman and regents president Karen Walsh issued statements saying the regents had learned of specific conduct by Gow that subjected the university to significant reputational harm. Rothman called Gow’s actions abhorrent and Walsh said she was disgusted.

Gow said Thursday that regents had discovered that he and his wife, former UW-La Crosse professor Carmen Wilson, had been producing and appearing in pornographic videos. He maintained that he never mentioned UW-La Crosse or his role at the university in any of the videos, and that the firing 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 also complained that the regents never told him what policy he violated and he was never given a hearing or other opportunity to present his case. He said he’s contemplating a lawsuit.