Vanessa Williams Returns to Miss America Pageant

Former Miss America, actress and singer Vanessa Williams is set to return for Miss America Pageant not as a contestant but as a judge.

Williams crowned Miss America in 1984, becoming the first African-American woman to win the pageant, now she has been named the head judge of the 2016 Miss America Pageant as it was announced by the organizers on Tuesday. Williams had a successful career in virtually all areas of the entertainment industry, but was forced to resign 10 months after winning the crown when nude photos from her past appeared in Penthouse magazine.

Williams has sold over 7 million records worldwide since her debut release “The Right Stuff” in 1988 and has scored numerous #1 and Top 10 hits on various Billboard Album and singles charts: Pop, Dance, R&B, Adult Contemporary, Holiday, Latin, Gospel and Jazz.

The multi talented ex beauty queen has received 4 Emmy nominations, 17 Grammy nominations, a Tony nomination, 3 SAG award nominations, 7 NAACP Image Awards, 3 Satellite Awards and ultimately a Golden Globe, Grammy and an Oscar for Best Original Song for her platinum single “Colors of the Wind,” from the Disney film “Pocahontas.”