--- title: PBS Suspends Tavis Smiley Show Over Sexual Misconduct Claims description: PBS has suspended distribution of Tavis Smiley's show after an investigation uncovered "multiple, credible allegations" of sexual misconduct canonical: https://time.com/5063812/tavis-smiley-sexual-misconduct-accusation/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-12-14T00:59:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-14T21:06:13.000Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: PBS Suspends Tavis Smiley's Show After Sexual Misconduct Probe og:description: Smiley denied any misconduct and said that he intends to "fight back" og:url: https://time.com/5063812/tavis-smiley-sexual-misconduct-accusation/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta852be2286c65ff2/6988f5070a4a22a84a9d1116/tavis-smiley-sexual-misconduct.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Courting Justice: Little Rock, Arkansas og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: PBS Suspends Tavis Smiley's Show After Sexual Misconduct Probe twitter:description: Smiley denied any misconduct and said that he intends to "fight back" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta852be2286c65ff2/6988f5070a4a22a84a9d1116/tavis-smiley-sexual-misconduct.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # PBS Suspends Tavis Smiley's Show After Sexual Misconduct Investigation > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jbtW5SvJ.m3u8) (5:02)  _Published 2017-12-06. For giving voice to open secrets, for moving whisper networks onto social networks, for pushing all of us to stop accepting the unacceptable, the Silence Breakers are the 2017 Person of the Year._  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Updated: Dec 14, 2023 9:06 PM UTCPublished: Dec 14, 2017 12:59 AM UTC  Tavis Smiley officiates Courting Justice: Little Rock, Arkansas at Central Arkansas Library on Sept. 23, 2016 in Little Rock, Arkansa. Tavis Smiley officiates Courting Justice: Little Rock, Arkansas at Central Arkansas Library on Sept. 23, 2016 in Little Rock, Arkansa.Earl Gibson III—Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Updated: Dec 14, 2023 9:06 PM UTCPublished: Dec 14, 2017 12:59 AM UTC PBS has suspended distribution of Tavis Smiley’s self-titled nightly show after an investigation uncovered “multiple, credible allegations” of sexual misconduct against him. The investigation found that Smiley, who has contributed opinion writing to TIME and hosted his show since 2004, had sexual relationships with multiple subordinates and created a verbally abusive and threatening environment, [_Variety_ reported](http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/tavis-smiley-pbs-1202639424/). PBS distributes the show, but does not employ Smiley or fund the production. Smiley did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “Effective today, PBS has indefinitely suspended distribution of ‘Tavis Smiley,’ produced by TS Media, an independent production company,” PBS said in a statement, according to Variety. “PBS engaged an outside law firm to conduct an investigation immediately after learning of troubling allegations regarding Mr. Smiley. This investigation included interviews with witnesses as well as with Mr. Smiley. The inquiry uncovered multiple, credible allegations of conduct that is inconsistent with the values and standards of PBS, and the totality of this information led to today’s decision.” Last month, PBS [cut ties with Charlie Rose](http://time.com/5033808/pbs-fires-charlie-rose/), another host of a long-running interview show, after several women accused him of sexual misconduct. Both Rose and Smiley are among [dozens of men](http://time.com/5015204/harvey-weinstein-scandal/) who have been accused of sexual harassment or assault in the wake of allegations against [Harvey Weinstein](http://time.com/magazine/us/4979222/october-23rd-2017-vol-190-no-16-u-s/), which [fueled a reckoning about the treatment of women](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers-choice/?xid=homepage), particularly in the workplace. Smiley responded to the suspension late Wednesday, telling TIME in a statement that he intends to “fight back.” “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,” he said. “I have the utmost respect for women and celebrate the courage of those who have come forth to tell their truth,” he continued. “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.” “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. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5063812/tavis-smiley-sexual-misconduct-accusation/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5063812/tavis-smiley-sexual-misconduct-accusation/"},"headline":"PBS Suspends Tavis Smiley's Show After Sexual Misconduct Investigation","datePublished":"2017-12-14T00:59:23.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-14T21:06:13.000Z","description":"Smiley denied any misconduct and said that he intends to \"fight back\"","url":"https://time.com/5063812/tavis-smiley-sexual-misconduct-accusation/","keywords":["Television","pbs","Media","sexual harassment","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta852be2286c65ff2/6988f5070a4a22a84a9d1116/tavis-smiley-sexual-misconduct.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta852be2286c65ff2/6988f5070a4a22a84a9d1116/tavis-smiley-sexual-misconduct.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Courting Justice: Little Rock, Arkansas","caption":"Tavis Smiley in Little Rock Arkansas","creditText":"Earl Gibson III—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5063812/tavis-smiley-sexual-misconduct-accusation/","name":"PBS Suspends Tavis Smiley's Show After Sexual Misconduct Investigation"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers","description":"For giving voice to open secrets, for moving whisper networks onto social networks, for pushing all of us to stop accepting the unacceptable, the Silence Breakers are the 2017 Person of the Year.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/jbtW5SvJ/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-12-06T12:11:05.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jbtW5SvJ.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5063812/tavis-smiley-sexual-misconduct-accusation/","duration":"PT5M2S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5063812/tavis-smiley-sexual-misconduct-accusation/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```