Tony Evers backs the removal of UW-La Crosse chancellor Joe Gow over pornographic videos

MADISON – The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents was right to remove Joe Gow from his post as UW-La Crosse chancellor after discovering that he and his wife have been filming and publishing pornographic videos, Gov. Tony Evers said this week.

Evers, who served on the Board of Regents for nearly a decade as Superintendent of Public Instruction, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he would have joined the Regents in voting unanimously to fire Gow as chancellor. He did not say whether Gow should be stripped of his tenured position as a communications professor.

"I will say, Joe Gow was one of the more accomplished chancellors that we have (had) in Wisconsin. I would have voted to make sure that he didn't continue in that role," Evers said. "And I understand the First Amendment stuff, but at the end of the day, it's more of kind of, what does this do to the campus, regardless of his free speech rights?"

Gow, 63, and his wife, Carmen Wilson, appear in videos on several porn websites using "Sexy Happy Couple" as the account name, a moniker also used on at least two social media accounts. The couple also published two books under pseudonyms detailing their experiences in the adult film industry. Both books and the social media accounts feature photos clearly showing Gow and Wilson.

Wilson, 56, was also removed from her unpaid position as associate to the chancellor.

Gow has defended himself with a First Amendment argument that the termination infringes on his free speech rights. UW System President Jay Rothman has called that defense "ridiculous," adding that chancellors are expected to be role models for students, staff, faculty and communities.

Gow was the longest serving of the UW System's 13 current chancellors, leading the 10,000-student campus since 2007. He left UW-La Crosse among the best financially positioned across the UW System, with enrollment holding held steady. As other UW schools grapple with multimillion dollar deficits, UW-La Crosse stands out for its balanced budget.

"I would have voted as the rest of (the Regents) voted, but I will say he's always been very successful as chancellor. So it's sad to see it end, but I would have voted the same way," Evers said.

Gow had announced in August that he planned to step down as chancellor at the end of the 2023-24 academic year and return to teaching.

He was reprimanded in 2018 for inviting adult fim actress Nina Hartley to speak on campus as part of a "Free Speech" event. It was not known at the time that Gow and Wilson had previously filmed a porn video with Hartley.

Gow and Wilson have several videos on OnlyFans that feature adult film stars, and also appear on at least two other porn websites. They also host a YouTube channel called "Sexy Healthy Cooking," which features videos of the couple cooking vegan dishes with adult film stars, such as Hartley, Will Pounder, Damon Dice, and Sofie Marie.

A review of Gow's status as a tenured communications professor is underway.

"That's a good question," Evers said when asked whether Gow should be allowed to keep that job. "I'll let the System work through that. He’lll have some ability to make his case to the folks there."

Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com. Kelly Meyerhofer can be reached at kmeyerhofer@gannett.com.