on his program, stating: "The real reason is that he can't take the hate he's been getting regarding the Barack issue—hate from the black people that he loves so much." Prior to the public controversy and being elected president, Obama had been on Smiley's PBS show six times. In 2012, Smiley participated in a "Poverty Tour" with Princeton University professor Cornel West to promote their book The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto. The stated aim of the tour was to highlight the plight of the impoverished population of the United States prior to the 2012 presidential election, whose candidates Smiley and West stated had ignored the plight of the poor. Sexual misconduct allegations On December 13, 2017, PBS indefinitely suspended Smiley. PBS issued a statement saying that it had hired a law firm to conduct an investigation "immediately after learning of troubling allegations regarding Mr. Smiley" and that this investigation "uncovered multiple, credible allegations of conduct that is inconsistent with the values and standards of PBS." It was reported by Variety that Smiley was let go due to multiple relationships with subordinates, some of whom felt the relationship was connected to their employment. It was also alleged that Smiley created an environment that was "verbally abusive and threatening." Smiley's suspension followed PBS' decision to part ways with Charlie Rose. On December 14, Smiley described the PBS investigation as "biased and sloppy" and said he would fight the allegations and the damage to his reputation. He released a statement saying, "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", he also said. Soon after the suspension, Smiley went on a country-wide tour to defend his innocence while also supporting the #MeToo movement and denouncing workplace harassment. In 2018, Smiley sued PBS for wrongful termination while PBS countersued claiming a breach of a morals clause in his contract. On March 4, 2020, a jury in Washington, D.C. agreed with the television network recommending to the judge that Smiley pay PBS $2.6 million. Smiley is reported to be appealing the decision. Honorary degrees Smiley was honored with the NAACP Image Award for best news, talk, or information series for three