Tavis Smiley Accused Of Sexual Misconduct, Suspended By PBS

LOS ANGELES, CA — Less than a month after PBS cut ties with anchor and talk show host Charlie Rose over sexual misconduct accusations, the network suspended radio and TV host Tavis Smiley over what it called "troubling allegations" of sexual misconduct. The Public Broadcasting Service on Wednesday said an independent probe found "multiple, credible allegations of conduct that is inconsistent with the values and standards of PBS."

Variety, which first reported the accusations, said some witnesses feared their employment was tied to their sexual relationship with Smiley.

Smiley vehemently denied the accusations in a Facebook post.

"To be clear, I have never groped, coerced, or exposed myself inappropriately to any workplace colleague in my entire broadcast career, covering 6 networks over 30 years," he wrote. "Never. Ever. Never."

My response to PBS suspension full text here: https://t.co/SzcQLfQWeX pic.twitter.com/8KX2QIr59B
— Tavis Smiley (@tavissmiley) December 14, 2017

He wrote that PBS "overreacted" and called it "a rush to judgment." He said he never harassed anyone and that one relationship the network uncovered was consensual.

"If having a consensual relationship with a colleague years ago is the stuff that leads to this kind of public humiliation and personal destruction, heaven help us," he said. "This has gone too far. And, I, for one, intend to fight back."

Smiley's radio program "The Tavis Smiley Show" was distributed by Public Radio International from 2005 to 2013. Smiley's half-hour show is filmed in Los Angeles and airs in southern California, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco and other parts of the country.

Smiley said the suspension came on the eve of the nightly show's 15th season and 3,000th episode.

The ouster comes weeks after PBS severed ties with Rose, citing "extremely disturbing and intolerable behavior" by him toward women at his PBS talk show.

Smiley also has a development deal with Warner Bros. Television and was working with J.J. Abrams to turn his new book about Michael Jackson's last days and death into a limited TV series.

Smiley next month is expected to launch a nationwide 40-city tour of a theatrical production focusing on the last year of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life. "Death of a King: A Live Theatrical Experience" is based on Smiley's 2014 book of the same title and was to start Jan. 15, King's birthday.

The dismissals of Smiley and Rose at PBS follow dozens of firings and suspensions of prominent men who have been accused of sexual misconduct or harassment. The wave began this fall with allegations lodged against Harvey Weinstein and has impacted numerous high-profile TV and media figures, with Matt Lauer, Garrison Keillor, journalist Mark Halperin, NPR news chief Michael Oreskes, reporter Glenn Thrush and New Republic editor Leon Wieseltier all felled, among others.

According to Variety, the investigation into Smiley found that he had engaged in sexual relationships with multiple subordinates and "creating a verbally abusive and threatening environment."

Smiley in a Facebook post claims PBS "refused to provide me the names of any accusers, refused to speak to my current staff, and refused to provide me any semblance of due process to defend myself against allegations from unknown sources."

He said PBS investigators only agreed to talk with Smiley upon being threatened with a lawsuit, he wrote.

"Put simply, PBS overreacted and conducted a biased and sloppy investigation, which led to a rush to judgment, and trampling on a reputation that I have spent an entire lifetime trying to establish," Smiley said.

By MARK KENNEDY, AP Entertainment Writer

Photo credit: Rich Fury/Invision/AP