Vanessa Williams made an edgy arrival to the “Jennifer Hudson Show,” in a silver sequin top, a luxe satin-like blazer and metallic skinny pants.
For makeup, she honed in on her look with smokey eye shadow, which highlighted her blue eyes.
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During her segment on the show, the singer talked about touring with Luther Vandross, celebrating her 60th birthday in the Bahamas, hosted by Pamella Rowland, and auditioning for Miss America in 1984.
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Williams attended Syracuse University on a musical theater track when she auditioned for the talent competition on a whim, after the play “Cyrano de Bergerac” at the Syracuse Stage was cancelled.
“I had April free and I said to my mom, ‘Do you think I should do this Ms. Syracuse thing?’ She said, ‘Is there scholarship money?’ I said yes, because I always got scholarships every year,” the Williams told Hudson on the show.
“My parents didn’t even show up. I sang a song from my performance class called ‘Being Good Isn’t Good Enough’ from the musical ‘Hallelujah Baby’ that Leslie Uggams had made famous. My friend played the piano and I got a bathing suit at our local store in Syracuse,” she later added.
Widely known for becoming the first Black woman to secure the Miss America crown in 1984, that same year, amid controversy, the star was allegedly forced to resign her title after unauthorized nude photos of her were published in Penthouse magazine.
During the Miss America Pageant in 2016, the organization’s former chief executive officer Sam Haskell publicly apologized to Williams and her mother Helen Tinch. “I want to apologize to you for anything that made you feel any less than the Miss America you are,” Haskell said.
With a career in the entertainment industry that spans over two decades, Williams knows a thing or two about a standout look, often wearing Pamella Roland. To “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 15 finale red carpet in April, she wore a lavender Pamella Roland dress with tulle detail.
While “Celebrating 50 Years of Broadway’s Best” with PBS (the special premiered on May 12), she sang a number from her Broadway debut “Kiss of the Spiderwoman” wearing a black cape gown from the designer’s fall 2023 collection.
Williams is a Grammy and Tony-nominated performer, appearing in films “Soul Food” (1997), “Shaft” (2000) and “Johnson Family Vacation” (2004).