Tavis Smiley

Tavis Smiley (born September 13, 1964) is an American talk show host and author. Born in Gulfport, Mississippi, Smiley grew up in Bunker Hill, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of Los Angeles. In 1991, Smiley started his career as a radio commentator and later hosted the talk show BET Talk on Black Entertainment Television (BET) from 1996 to 2001. He then hosted The Tavis Smiley Show on National Public Radio (NPR) from 2002 to 2004, and hosted Tavis Smiley on PBS on weekdays from 2004 to 2017. Smiley also hosted The Tavis Smiley Show on Public Radio International (PRI) during this time. In December 2017, he sued PBS for wrongful termination after an employment dispute.