Tavis Smiley (1964 - )

Sun Sep 13, 1964

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Tavis Smiley, born on this day in 1964, is an American talk show host and author. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, and grew up in Bunker Hill, Indiana. From 2010 to 2013, Smiley and Cornel West worked together to host their own radio talk show, Smiley & West.

In 2012, Smiley participated in a “Poverty Tour” with Princeton University professor Cornel West to promote their book “The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto”. The stated aim of the tour was to highlight the plight of the impoverished population of the United States prior to the 2012 presidential election, whose candidates Smiley and West stated had ignored the plight of the poor.

In 2017, PBS indefinitely suspended Smiley after a law firm “uncovered multiple, credible allegations of conduct that is inconsistent with the values and standards of PBS.” The publication Variety reported that Smiley was let go due to multiple sexual relationships with subordinates, some of whom felt the relationship was connected to their employment.

Smiley has stated “To be clear, I have never groped, coerced or exposed myself inappropriately to any workplace colleague in my entire broadcast career, covering six networks over 30 years”.

“All he could think of was how all people require attention. All people require respect. All people require acknowledgment. All people require love.”

- Tavis Smiley