Editing Tavis Smiley (section)

=== BET Tonight show ===
Also in 1996 Smiley began hosting and executive producing ''BET Tonight'' (originally ''BET Talk'' when it first premiered), a public affairs discussion show on the [[Black Entertainment Television]] (BET) network. He interviewed major political figures and celebrities, and discussed topics ranging from [[racial profiling]] and [[police brutality]] to [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] music and Hollywood gossip.

==== Firing from BET ====
Smiley hosted ''BET Tonight'' until 2001 when, in a controversial move, the network announced that Smiley's contract would not be renewed. This sparked an angry response from Smiley, who sought to rally his radio audience to protest BET's decision. [[Robert L. Johnson]], founder of BET, defended the decision, stating that Smiley had been fired because he had sold an exclusive interview to ABC News without first offering the story to BET, even though Smiley's contract with BET did not require him to do so. Smiley countered with the assertion that he had offered the story—an interview with [[Sara Jane Olson]], an alleged former member of the [[Symbionese Liberation Army]]—to [[CBS]], which, along with BET, was owned by [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]]. Smiley ultimately sold the interview to rival network ABC, he said, only after CBS passed on the interview, and suggested that his firing was payback for the publicity he gained as a result of providing an exclusive interview to ABC.<ref>[http://eurweb.com/story.cfm?id=1914 Smiley's termination from BET] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710205141/http://eurweb.com/story.cfm?id=1914 |date=July 10, 2011 }}</ref> Ultimately, BET and Viacom did not reverse their decision to terminate Smiley's contract.