University chancellor says he was fired for producing and appearing in porn

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV/Gray News) – The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously in a special meeting Wednesday night to terminate Joe Gow as chancellor of University of Wisconsin- La Crosse.

Gow told the Associated Press he was fired because he and his wife, former UW-La Crosse professor Carmen Wilson, produced and appeared in pornographic videos.

Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman said the Board learned of alleged conduct by Gow in recent days that has “subjected the university to significant reputational harm.”

“His actions were abhorrent,” Rothman said.

Gow said he’s considering a lawsuit over the firing, saying it infringes upon his free speech rights. He also said he was never told what policies he was violating, nor was he given a chance to defend himself.

He told the Associated Press Thursday morning he never mentioned UW-La Crosse or his role at the university in any of the videos.

“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.”

According to UW-La Crosse, Gow is the longest-serving active chancellor in the UW system and the second-longest-serving chancellor in school history.

The regents meeting’s agenda listed only a single topic for the virtual session: the possible disciplining or firing of one of the university system’s 13 chancellors. The agenda did not name which one of them was going to be the subject of the meeting.

After the regents gathered Wednesday evening, they called roll and moved immediately into a closed session, according to the agenda that was posted on the Universities of Wisconsin website.

Gow announced in August that he had intended to step down at the end of the year and transition into a faculty role at the University. At the time, Rothman had described Gow as leaving UW-La Crosse better than it was when he arrived and said he was grateful Gow would be serving for the full academic year.

On Wednesday, Rothman said that Gow will be placed on paid administrative leave as he transitions into the faculty role, as he is a tenured employee.

Betsy Morgan, who serves as the university’s provost and vice chancellor, will serve as interim chancellor. Rothman said he filed a complaint with Morgan to review Gow’s status as a tenured faculty member, and an outside law firm would also investigate the matter.

“The outrage over his behavior is evidenced by the unanimous vote by the UW Board of Regents to terminate him as chancellor,” said Regent President Karen Walsh. “We are alarmed and disgusted by his actions, which were wholly and undeniably inconsistent with his role as chancellor.”

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

Gow was reprimanded in 2018 after he paid 59-year-old porn actress Nina Hartley $5,000 out of his discretionary fund to speak on campus. Two weeks later, Gow said he was sorry for the media attention Hartley’s visit attracted and promised to personally reimburse the school the $5,000.

Former University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross reprimanded Gow at the time, saying that Gow exercised poor judgment.

Copyright 2023 WMTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.