Wisconsin regional university chancellor fired after posting pornographic videos

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The chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse was terminated after pornographic videos of him and his wife came to light. He argued that the university’s action was a violation of his First Amendment rights. 

Key Players

Joe Gow was chancellor of the University of Wisconsin (UW)-La Crosse, a position he had held since 2007. During his service in that role, Gow increased undergraduate enrollment, while other University of Wisconsin regional campuses struggled with decreasing numbers. 

Carmen Wilson, Gow’s wife, is a former UW-La Crosse professor. She served as an associate to the chancellor, an unpaid position, until she was terminated along with her husband. 

Jay Rothman is president of the University of Wisconsin System (UWS). 

Karen Walsh chairs the UW Board of Regents.

Further Details

Gow and Wilson published pornographic videos under the username Sexy Happy Couple. They also posted videos to a Youtube channel called “Sexy Healthy Cooking,” in which they cook food with porn actors. “It’s an interesting process, and the people that we work with are completely professional, and very great to work with,” Gow told The New York Times. 

They’ve authored two e-books, Monogamy with Benefits: How Porn Enriches Our Relationship and Married with Benefits — Our Real-Life Adult Industry Adventures.

In 2018, Gow faced repercussions for inviting a porn actress to discuss the porn industry as a part of “Free Speech Week” on the La Crosse campus.

Rothman’s chief of staff learned about the videos on Dec. 19, 2023, from an individual whose identity has not been released. 

Outcome 

Gow and Wilson fired by the Wisconsin state Board of Regents 

The Board of Regents voted unanimously to terminate Gow on Dec. 27. Wilson was also let go from her position. Walsh wrote in a statement that the board was “alarmed, and disgusted, by his actions,” though she did not clarify exactly which actions she was referring to. Rothman said that Gow had damaged the reputation of the university. 

Gow and Wilson, in an interview with The New York Times, attributed their sudden termination to the pornographic videos they appeared in. They felt the decision was unfounded and violated their Free Speech protections. The couple also noted that they did not mention their positions at the university in their performances. 

“My wife and I live in a country where we have a First Amendment,” Gow told The Associated Press, “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 Gow, in an email to the Free Speech Project, the university has initiated a UWS Chapter 4 process against him to terminate him from his tenured faculty position. He said he is waiting to hear the results of this process before deciding whether to file a lawsuit against the university. He said the board failed to notify him about any specific policy he had violated, nor did it offer him a hearing. 

Rothman, head of the state university system, told AP that Gow was not entitled to any specific due process. 

According to Rothman, Gow could hypothetically return to his position as a tenured professor of communication after a period of paid administrative leave. However, this would depend on the outcome of the university’s review of Gow’s tenure; an outside investigation of the situation by the law firm Husch Blackwell is also underway. 

The interim chancellor of the La Crosse campus, Betsy Morgan, said on Jan. 17, 2024, that Gow was not teaching during the spring semester.