PBS suspends Tavis Smiley’s late-night talk show following a sexual misconduct investigation

Variety

Variety reports that Tavis Smiley’s namesake talk show has been suspended following an  investigation that found that Smiley “had engaged in sexual relationships with multiple subordinates. Some witnesses interviewed expressed concern that their employment status was linked to the status of a sexual relationship with Smiley. In general, they described Smiley as creating a verbally abusive and threatening environment that went beyond what could be expected in a typical high-pressure work environment. Several expressed concerns about retaliation.” PBS said in a statement that its “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.” Smiley is the second PBS host with a namesake late-night talk show to be suspended amid sexual harassment allegations, following Charlie Rose three weeks ago.