University of Wisconsin Chancellor Joe Gow and his wife
Long-time University of Wisconsin Chancellor Joe Gow was fired by the university's Board of Regents on Wednesday following revelations that he and his wife Carmen Wilson created and shared explicit adult content online.
The Board voted to fire Dr Gow, 63, citing his actions as "abhorrent" and causing significant reputational harm to the university.
The explicit videos, featuring the couple under the title "Sexy Happy Couple," are accessible on platforms such as OnlyFans and Pornhub, sometimes including appearances by well-known adult film stars.
UW President Jay Rothman expressed the Board's stance in a statement that read, "In recent days, we learned of specific conduct by Dr Gow that has subjected the university to significant reputational harm. His actions were abhorrent.”
Karen Walsh, the president of the UW System Regents, accused Joe Gow of displaying a "reckless disregard for the role he was entrusted with." Expressing deep concern, Walsh stated, "We are alarmed, and disgusted, by his actions, which were wholly and undeniably inconsistent with his role as chancellor."
The couple has an account on X, formerly Twitter, named "Sexy Healthy Cooking," which redirects to their LoyalFans and OnlyFans profiles, where they share "fully explicit scenes." In one of their videos, adult film legend Nina Hartley stirred controversy in 2018 when Dr Gow paid her $5,000 from University funds for a 90-minute speech reassuring students that it's "OK to like porn."
In a phone interview with AP, Dr Gow revealed that he never mentioned the university or his role in any of the videos and argued that his 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.”
Dr Gow complained that the regents did not specify the policy he violated, and he was never given a chance to present his case in a hearing. He is now considering a lawsuit. “I got an email last night saying I was terminated,” Dr Gow said. “I wish I would have had the opportunity to have a hearing. When reasonable people understand what my wife and I are creating, it calms them down.”
The couple, using pseudonyms, also wrote two books about their experiences in the adult film industry named, ‘Monogamy with Benefits: How Porn Enriches Our Relationship' and ‘Married with Benefits - Our Real-Life Adult Industry Adventures'. Their Amazon biographies include links to their videos on X and a pornographic website.