Allegations about inappropriate behavior by Virginia politician Charles S. Robb had been circulating for a long time before The Washington Post and NBC News in April 1991 focused on Tai Collins, a 1983 Miss Virginia-U.S.A. who claimed to have had a sexual relationship with Robb during his governorship.

Robb, then a U.S. senator, denied the affair initially, but later admitted to sharing a bottle of wine with Collins before receiving a nude massage from her. The controversy led to a Playboy cover story and likely irreparably damaged Robb's already tarnished public image.