The headline-grabbing content of the September 1984 issue was a ten-page spread of sexually explicit photographs featuring Vanessa Williams, the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America. The photos were taken before her pageant win, and when Penthouse founder Bob Guccione acquired and published them, they caused a media firestorm of unprecedented scale.

The single issue generated an estimated $14 million in historic profits for Penthouse .

Penthouse printed millions of extra copies to meet the public demand. The issue quickly sold out across the country, generating an estimated $14 million in additional revenue for the magazine—an astronomical sum at the time.

When the September 1984 issue hit newsstands in late July of that year, it set record-breaking sales numbers. Over 5 million copies.

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The 1980s also saw shifts in social attitudes towards sex and adult content. There was a growing acceptance and normalization of previously taboo subjects, which influenced the content of adult magazines and other media. This period was marked by debates over censorship, freedom of expression, and the impact of adult content on society.

The legal repercussions were swift and severe. The FBI, investigating a nationwide child pornography ring, raided Penthouse 's offices and confiscated all remaining copies of the September 1984 issue. The magazine was forced to halt all distribution, and suddenly, owning a copy of the issue became, in the words of one Penthouse executive, "a felony just to own".

The September 1984 issue of Penthouse magazine is one of the most culturally significant and controversial editions in the history of adult publishing. Marking the publication's 15th anniversary, it became a massive commercial success, netting publisher Bob Guccione a windfall profit of approximately $14 million. However, its legacy is defined by two major scandals that continue to be discussed decades later. The Vanessa Williams Controversy