The “Tamron Hall” show is in hot water again.
On May 4, “The Doctors” show host Dr. Ian Smith blasted Hall’s talk show while appearing as a guest on the “Karen Hunter Show” podcast. Smith addressed what he characterized as the issue of the “Tamron Hall” show only inviting Black experts to talk about scandals but not to discuss “education or sociology or medicine or law.” He said they instead “will only bring us on when we’re an entertainer or an athlete or we do something salacious.”
The 51-year-old continued, “There is a talk show with an African-American host with an African-American executive producer that has said to publicists do not pitch us your Black clients. We are not a Black show, pitch us your white clients, we don’t want to be looked at as a Black show.” He added, “However this show will continue to bring on Black experts when they do something salacious,” or “when they’re in the headlines for doing something bad. Then they’ll bring Black people on to talk about that.”
Smith also explained that it is important to hold Black shows accountable in the way that people would white shows. “I’m putting this show on blast because when white shows and white hosts don’t let us on we criticize them, but the same criticism has to be held when for shows is helmed and hosted by Black people that keep us off the airwaves.” Simply put, Smith believes, “It’s just not right.”
When Hunter tried asking Smith which show he was accusing he told her to “figure it out,” and she seemingly did just that. When she asked, “Was she formerly on cable, and then moved to NBC, and then moved on to her own show with her name on it,” Smith nodded his head, clearly intending to suggest it was the “Tamron Hall” show.
This isn’t Tamron Hall’s first time being criticized. Last July, there were reports she’d fired 20 employees in the midst of the pandemic. Although she claimed she did make “changes to make the show better,” she denied abruptly firing anyone. She said she actually fought to add more episodes to the show to keep her employees working and to “keep putting out stories that matter to you.” She also noted that her “creative team was paid through the pandemic and through that extension.”
