Tavis Smiley called out PBS on Monday for making what he calls "a huge mistake" when it stopped distributing his show over allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
"I'm going to do anything to protect my reputation," Smiley said on "Good Morning America."
PBS didn't take the host's morning-show offensive sitting down.
"Tavis Smiley needs to get his story straight," a PBS spokesperson said in a statement. The rep also confirmed the decision to keep Smiley's show on indefinite suspension.
On "GMA" _ where Smiley maintained his innocence while also admitting to "consensual" relationships with colleagues and an "intense" atmosphere during production _ he faulted PBS for not sharing the identities of his accusers during an investigation conducted by an outside law firm.
"Witnesses who have bravely come forward to speak with the independent investigators retained by PBS report a fear of retribution for speaking out. PBS stands by its decision to respect the anonymity of those who are afraid to come forward publicly. Additional allegations are continuing to come to light since last week's announcement," the network spokesperson said.
In response to Smiley's explanation that his company did not prohibit relationships between employees because "I don't know where your heart's going to lead you," PBS's rep said the network was "certain that it should not lead to multiple sexual relationships between the owner of a company and subordinates over many years particularly where employment decisions may be linked to sex."
Last week on Facebook, Smiley said, "I have the utmost respect for women and celebrate the courage of those who have come forth to tell their truth. To be clear, I have never groped, coerced, or exposed myself inappropriately to any workplace colleague in my entire broadcast career, covering six networks over 30 years."
PBS on Monday noted conflicts between that post and his comments on "GMA."
On the show, "Mr. Smiley acknowledged he has had multiple sexual encounters with his employees, then struggled to recall the number of current employees with whom he has had sex," the PBS spokesperson said. "This contradicts his Facebook post from last week, where he cited only one previous relationship with an employee."
Smiley said on "GMA" that he found out he was being investigated only after he got calls from former staffers who were getting "strange phone calls asking strange questions." That's when he lawyered up.
"They were prepared to close this investigation without talking to me ...," Smiley said, "and when they did, they talked to me for three hours and they never told me who the accusers were, what the allegations were." Quizzed as to whether it was important that he know the identity of his accusers, he said, yes, so he better answers any questions.
"PBS made a huge mistake here," Smiley said. "They need to fix this. They need to correct it."
The broadcaster announced on Wednesday that it was suspending distribution of Smiley's show, which is owned not by PBS but by Smiley's company. A day later, the host vowed to fight back.
