The chancellor of the University of Wisconsin says he was fired for producing and appearing in porn videos

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow said Thursday that the school board fired him because members were uncomfortable with him and his wife producing and appearing in pornographic videos occurred.

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, which oversees UW-Madison, UW-La Crosse and 11 other regional campuses, voted unanimously to fire Gow in a hastily called closed meeting Wednesday evening.

After the vote, University of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and Regents President Karen Walsh issued statements saying the regents had learned of specific conduct by Gow that caused “significant reputational damage” to the university. Rothman called Gow’s behavior “disgusting” and Walsh said she was “disgusting.” But none of them provided any information about the allegations.

Gow told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Thursday morning that the regents discovered that he and his wife, former UW-La Crosse professor Carmen Wilson, were producing and appearing in pornographic videos.

He claimed that he did not mention UW-La Crosse or his role at the university in any of the videos and that the firing violated his right to free speech.

“My wife and I live in a country where we have a First Amendment,” he said. “We are dealing with consensual adult sexuality. The rulers are overreacting. They are certainly not abiding by their own commitment to free speech or the First Amendment.”

Gow also complained that the regents never told him what policies he had violated and that he was never given a hearing or other opportunity to present his case. He said he was considering a lawsuit.

“I received an email last night saying I was terminated,” Gow said. “I wish I had had the opportunity to attend a hearing. When sensible people understand what my wife and I are doing, it reassures them.”

Gow had planned to retire as provost at the end of the spring 2024 semester and move into a role teaching communications courses. But Rothman said Wednesday evening that he planned to file a complaint with UW-L interim Chancellor Betsy Morgan seeking a review of Gow’s tenure.

Rothman said in an email to the AP Thursday morning that Gow has failed to serve as a role model for students, faculty and the community and mistakenly believes that the First Amendment is a “free pass to say or do anything.” “whatever he likes”.

“Good judgment requires that there are and must be limits on what the people charged with running our universities say or do,” Rothman wrote.

Rothman added that Gow served at the pleasure of the regents and was not entitled to any particular process.

“That should be very clear to him,” Rothman said.

Gow faced intense criticism in 2018 for inviting porn actress Nina Hartley to speak at UW-La Crosse. He paid her $5,000 from tuition fees for her performance. Ray Cross, then president of the UW System, reprimanded him and the regents refused to give him a raise that year. Gow said at the time that he was exercising the system’s free speech policies.

Gow and his wife star in a YouTube channel called “Sexy Healthy Cooking,” in which the couple cook meals alongside porn actors. They have also written two e-books under pseudonyms, “Monogamy with Benefits: How Porn Enriches Our Relationship” and “Married with Benefits – Our Real-Life Adult Industry Adventures.” Her bios on Amazon contain links to her videos on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, and a pornographic website.