Vanessa Williams to return to Miss America after 3 decades

Three decades after she gave up the crown amid a nude photo scandal, Vanessa Williams is returning to the Miss America pageant. The Miss America Organization, Dick Clark Productions and the ABC television network announced Tuesday they are bringing back the award-winning actress and singer to serve as head judge for the 2016 competition. It begins Tuesday and culminates in the crowning of the next Miss America on Sunday. Williams, the first African-American Miss America, won the title in 1984 but resigned after Penthouse magazine published sexually explicit photographs of her taken several years earlier. She went on to have a successful career in film, television, music and Broadway. Sam Haskell, executive chairman and CEO of the Miss America Organization, said his friendship with Williams pre-dated the turmoil caused by the release of the photos. Since her 1988 debut album, "The Right Stuff," Williams has sold more than 7 million records worldwide and has scored No. 1 and Top 10 hits on various Billboard album and singles charts, including pop, dance, R&B, adult contemporary, holiday, Latin, Gospel and jazz.