Three Miss America Organization leaders have resigned following an email scandal in which vulgar, offensive language was used to describe former Miss America contestants, USA TODAY confirmed Saturday.

The resignation of its Executive Chairman and Chief Executive, Sam Haskell, who was suspended from the organization Friday as he was put under investigation, will be effective immediately, according to a statement from interim chairman Dan Meyers.

The board further accepted the resignation of chairman Lynn Weidner along with President and Chief Operating Officer Josh Randle. The two will remain in their current positions for several more weeks to "facilitate a smooth transition," according to Meyers' statement.

The organization said its board of directors accepted Randle's resignation Saturday "in light of recent events and new developments."

► Friday:Miss America CEO Sam Haskell suspended over offensive emails

► Friday:131 so far accused of sexual misconduct in 'Harvey Weinstein effect'

The Miss America Organization was rocked following the release of internal emails published Thursday on Huffington Post. The published messages showed offensive language Haskell used to describe 2013 Miss America Mallory Hagan — describing her as "fat and gross" in one note.

In another exchange from August 2014, Haskell received an email that said Hagan’s hairdresser had been commenting on Hagan’s sex life as well as her recent weight gain.

Haskell forwarded the email to Miss America telecast lead writer Lewis Friedman and noted, “Not a single day passes that I am not told some horrible story about Mallory.”

Friedman replied, “Mallory’s preparing for her new career … as a blimp in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. As she continues to destroy her own credibility, her voice will attract less and less notice while she continues her descent to an unhappy pathetic footnote.”

Friedman ended the email with this: “P.S. Are we four the only ones not to have (slept with) Mallory?”

► Thursday:Miss America chief exec accused of slut-shaming, fat-shaming winners

► Sept. 12:Miss America 2018 on wanting to run for office, winning crown

Haskell replied, “It appears we are the only ones!”

Haskell had been suspended pending the investigation.

"Much of what was reported is dishonest, deceptive, and despicable," he said in a statement released Friday. "The material is based on private emails that were stolen three years ago by ex-employees. The story is so unkind and untrue, and hurts me, my family, and the stewardship of this non-profit."

Hagan was among dozens of former Miss Americas who signed a petition, which Miss North Carolina 1991 Jennifer Vaden Barth started Friday, calling on the group's leadership to step down. The petition called the emails from Haskell and others “despicable” and faulted officials who “sat by without objection while such derisive comments were passed around.”

On Jan. 25, 2015, Haskell forwarded a photo of Hagan with three other former Miss Americas to Randle and said, “Look at MH in this photo...OMG," the Huffington Post reported.

Randle reportedly replied, “She’s a healthy one!! Hahaha.”

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On Saturday, Randle told The Associated Press that his comment responding to an email to his private account about Hagan's physical appearance came months before he started working for the Miss America Organization in 2015. But he said it was wrong.

“I apologize to Mallory for my lapse in judgment,” Randle said. “It does not reflect my values or the values I worked to promote at the Miss America Organization. Although this terrible situation was not caused or driven by me, in light of recent events and new developments, I am no longer willing to continue in my capacity as president and earlier today offered my resignation to the MAO Board of Directors.

“I feel terrible, but this is the right thing to do,” he said.

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Randle said his resignation was voluntary and the board of Miss America, based in Atlantic City, N.J., had not requested it. In May at age 29, Randle became the youngest president of the Miss America organization in its history.

Haskell joined Miss America’s board in 2005 after retiring from the William Morris Agency, now called WME, where he was the worldwide head of television.

Gretchen Carlson, 1989 Miss America, tweeted a statement from herself and Kate Shindle, 1998 Miss America, Saturday calling the resignations "reassuring" but adding "this by no means fulfills the need for a thorough housecleaning of the Board."

"We will continue to demand the resignations of every individual who either participated in the abuse of women or stood by and was complicit," the statement said.

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