UW-La Crosse Chancellor Gow says he was fired for producing porn
MADISON, Wis. - Former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow said Thursday, Dec. 28, that regents fired him because they were uncomfortable with him and his wife producing and appearing in pornographic videos.
In a statement to FOX6 News on Thursday, Gow said the following:
"I am deeply troubled that I received no due process from the Board of Regents. I was not informed of the policy that I allegedly violated, nor was I given a hearing to present my side of the case. Moreover, there Regents appear to be overlooking the fact that books and videos my wife and I have produced are protected under the First Amendment as well as the Regents’ own Commitment to Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression."
The regents voted unanimously during a hastily convened closed meeting Wednesday evening, Dec. 27, to fire Gow.
After the vote, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and regents President Karen Walsh issued statements saying the regents had learned of specific conduct by Gow that subjected the university to "significant reputational harm." Rothman called Gow's actions "abhorrent" and Walsh said she was "disgusted." But neither of them offered any details of the allegations.
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Gow and his wife, former UW-La Crosse professor Carmen Wilson, told FOX6 they are disappointed by the termination.
"We love one another so these are not violent videos," Gow said. "They are not exploitative videos."
The couple has a YouTube channel called "Sexy Healthy Cooking" and recently started posting pornographic content on adult websites featuring porn actors.
Regents had discovered that he and his wife had been producing and appearing in these pornographic videos.
"I found it very disappointing the Regents approached this the way they did and without due process and without conversation," Wilson said.
He maintained that he never mentioned UW-La Crosse or his role at the university in any of the videos and the firing violated his free speech rights.
"I think it is vitally important that universities have free speech and free expression, and we have a First Amendment that protects that protects that," Gow said.
Students are also speaking out about the incident.
"It’s kind of difficult because, yes, he has the freedom to go do whatever he wants, but the university also has a freedom of association," UW-La Crosse student Easton Moberg said. "Even if his name isn’t necessarily tied to those videos, his face definitely, as the top figurehead at UWL."
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Gow also complained that the regents never told him what policy he violated and he was never given a hearing or other opportunity to present his case. He said he is considering legal action at this time.
"Half of it was kind of comical for some students and the other half was just kind of embarrassing," UW-La Crosse student Isabel Piarulli said.
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UW Regents vote to terminate La Crosse chancellor
The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously in a special meeting on Wednesday to terminate Joe Gow as chancellor of UW-La Crosse.
Gow took heavy criticism in 2018 for inviting porn actor Nina Hartley to speak at UW-La Crosse. He paid her $5,000 out of student fees to appear. Ray Cross, then UW system president, reprimanded him and the regents refused to give him a raise that year. Gow said then that he was exercising the system's free speech policies.
The couple also has 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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.