Vanessa Williams

Dr. Condoleezza Rice reveals herself as the woman behind the Washington power player in an intimate and surprising interview. Dr. Rice shares the lessons of her childhood in racially charged Birmingham, Alabama, and how her parents instilled in her a sense of strength and convict ...  Show more

Revolutionary surfer, author and model Laird Hamilton shares the lessons he says he’s learned from surfing with passion, enthusiasm and a sense of wonder. Laird is a veteran big-wave surfer who elevated the sport to an art form. He has risked his life to surf the biggest waves in ...  Show more

There is bouncing back after adversity, and then there is: Vanessa Williams. The talented multi-hyphenate was only 21 years old when she became the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America. Yet a controversy surrounding the release of unauthorized nude photos led to her ultim ...  Show more

Vanessa Williams, award-winning actress and singer, tells WSJ's Veronica Dagher how she's coped with racism in the entertainment industry and how she's working to end inequality for other performers. 

Mike tells Sarah how a 20-year-old singer, actress and French horn player became Miss America with less than six months of practice. Digressions include Ted Bundy, Stephen King’s “It” and a bonus debunking of the "bra-burning feminist" trope. We're sorry to say ...

In 1983, Vanessa Williams became the first black woman to win Miss America. In 1984, a few weeks from the end of her reign, she was forced to step down when she found out Penthouse was going to publish unauthorized nude images of her in their magazine. Williams went on to have a ...  Show more