Vanessa Williams Recalls Johnny Carson’s ‘Racist’ Joke About Her Being the First Black Miss America

Vanessa Williams talks about the beginnings of her profession in a brand new interview for The Guardian. People.

The 61-year-old actress revealed that the late Johnny Carson made a “prejudiced” joke about her after she became the first black woman to win the Miss America pageant in 1984. Williams shared that she was in New York for a performance when she appeared on “The Tonight Show,” which Carson hosted at the time.

“When I had just won, one of my first shows was in New York and I was staying at The Plaza,” she said. “I remember turning on ‘The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson’ and his opening monologue was, ‘Did you hear we have the first Black Miss America? Yeah. They didn’t mention that Mr. T was one of the judges.’”

“I thought, ‘Wow, that says a lot,’” Williams added.

The actress added that she felt like Carson suggested that “in order to win, there has to be one black judge.”

“It’s just me, a 20-year-old who realized, ‘Oh, there’s something out there that’s still racist and prejudiced and tinged with attitude and judgment.'”

Williams added that the Carson joke was just one among “so many instances” she experienced during that point. The “Ugly Betty” star recalled receiving a number of racist comments and even a couple of death threats after her win, in line with People . Although her reign was cut short because of the sale of nude photos without her consent, Williams has some fond memories from her pageant days.

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“President Reagan called me after I won at Resorts Hotel in my room and said it was a great thing for our country,” she shared. “I cried when I met Lena Horne because she was an idol.”

“I performed with Ray Charles on the USS. Being on the Love Boat was so much fun,” Williams concluded. “It was an amazing year. Even though it was scary, it was amazing.”