Tavis Smiley set to return to hosting with new series on The Word Network
The former PBS host is already staging a comeback
Tavis Smiley is getting back to work with a new series on The Word Network.
Smiley, who saw his talk show booted off of PBS because of allegations of sexual misconduct in the workplace, announced on Monday that he had a new deal for a series focused on inspirational stories.
The Upside with Tavis Smiley will be available to stream online and on the religiously-oriented Word Network channel.
Smiley explained that he wanted to get back to work quickly because he was worried about his employees. After all, anyone who worked for him had just found out that PBS kicked Smiley’s show off of their network right around the holiday season.
But when asked if it would have been better to wait until the accusations against him were older news, Smiley said that he was “a black man in America,” and that meant he might never get another opportunity if he didn’t seize what he could.
“You can only make decisions based on what’s in front of you,” he said. “You can’t make decisions based on what might happen, on what may come.”
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Town halls on workplace relationships
Smiley also announced that he would be going to five cities for a “town hall”-style tour. During his appearances in Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, he will discuss workplace protocols.
“Everyone is saying, ‘We need to talk about this,’ but nobody is doing that,” he said. “Nobody is creating a space for it. Now here I am doing it.”
When Smiley was accused of sexual misconduct, he insisted that there was nothing wrong with falling in love at work. However, the women accusing him insisted that it was more than an office romance, claiming that they felt their jobs and promotions were in jeopardy if they didn’t give him what he wanted.
