Kate Shindle, Equity President & Former Miss America, Responds to Pageant Scandal

Equity president and former Miss America, Kate Shindle, released a statement tonight expressing her dismay and anger toward former leaders of the Miss America pageant, as a response to Huffington Post revelations of shocking misogyny and corruption within the organization's leadership.

In a newly published expose, reporter Yashar Ali uncovers the shocking behavior of former Miss America CEO, Sam Haskell.

Though a longtime veteran of the organization the series of e-mails reveals Haskell's shocking attitude toward former Miss Americas, which would routinely include the use of misogynistic speech, fat-shaming, crude epithets, and focused character and business attacks on former winners.

In addition to his horrific rhetoric regarding former winners, Haskell's focus seemed to linger on Shindle, the 1998 winner of the competition, after the release of her 2014 book.

In the book, Shindle questions some financial murkiness within the organization, as well as revealing shocking details of Haskell's behavior, which including blacklisting those who opposed his leadership.

In a December 2014 e-mail regarding the death of former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley, lead writer for the telecast Lewis Friedman, "So sorry to hear about Mary Ann Mobley".

According to the report, the subject line of Friedman's email read: "It should have been Kate Shindle."

Haskell replied, "Thanks so much Coach...even in my sadness you can make me laugh...how was the Kennedy Center Honors? Love you and appreciate you! Sam."

Shindle fired back this evening in a statement on Twitter. See her full thoughts below,

Shindle currently serves as president of the Actors' Equity Association, the union representing more than 51,000 American stage actors and stage managers. She recently wrapped up a successful run as Large Alison on the national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical, Fun Home.

Read the full story at The Huffington Post.