Tavis Smiley must pay $1.5 million to PBS following #MeToo lawsuit, firing

A jury officially decided that former PBS host Tavis Smiley will have to pay about $1.5 million to his former employer after he was fired amid allegations of workplace sexual misconduct.

Smiley was suspended in December 2017. The network ultimately removed him after several credible allegations of misconduct came to light at the height of the #MeToo movement, which saw several powerful people in show business and politics lose their positions as accusers felt emboldened to come forward.

Smiley first sued PBS in D.C. Superior Court, contending that racial bias contributed to his dismissal and he was wrongly terminated without proof. He acknowledged having romantic relationships with colleagues over his career, but says they were consensual. He sought $1 million. The network counter-sued, arguing in part that Smiley owed the network for a season that didn't air.

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/tavis-smiley-pay-pbs-metoo-lawsuit-firing