
Tavis Smiley
"Tavis Smiley" is the flagship program for KBLA, America's newest progressive radio network and LA's first Black-owned talk station. Broadcast live across southern California on 1580AM and around the world on KBLA1580.com and TuneIn, this podcast presents the best of Tavis Smiley's conversations with activists, influencers, thought leaders, and cultural vanguards.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.
Latest episodes

Jul 7, 2025 • 34min
Elise Bryant joins Tavis Smiley
NAACP Image Award-nominated author Elise Bryant talks about her new mystery “The Game is Afoot” and explains why it’s the perfect summer read.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Jul 7, 2025 • 16min
Taye Diggs joins Tavis Smiley
Award-winning actor Taye Diggs talks about his career and being back on Broadway for the first time in ten years, starring in the new “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Jul 7, 2025 • 21min
Chip Mitchell joins Tavis Smiley
Chip Mitchell, reporter for WBEZ in Chicago, talks about how Chicago’s violent crime rate is plummeting with the help of street outreach workers in spite of a violent Fourth of July weekend.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Jul 7, 2025 • 22min
Michael Fauntroy joins Tavis Smiley
Associate Professor and Founding Director of The Race, Politics, and Policy Center at George Mason University, Dr Michael K. Fauntroy shares his thoughts about the impact of Trump’s big bill on Black America and other trending political topics.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Jul 7, 2025 • 16min
James Farr joins Tavis Smiley
Journalist, opinion columnist, and host of KBLA Talk 1580’s Conversation Live: Altadena Rising, James Farr talks about life and recovery six months after the L.A. Wildfires.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Jul 7, 2025 • 14min
Jesse Jackson Jr. and Nii-Quartelai Quartey join Tavis Smiley
Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ has been signed into law. What does that mean? Jesse Jackson Jr. and Nii-Quartelai Quartey join Tavis Smiley to discuss.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Jul 7, 2025 • 21min
Shannon LaNier joins Tavis Smiley
Emmy-winning TV host and news anchor, fatherhood influencer, and the sixth great-grandson of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, Shannon LaNier, joins Tavis for a one-on-one.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Jul 7, 2025 • 34min
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers joins Tavis Smiley
Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, poet and University of Oklahoma English professor, shares her new book, “Misbehaving at the Crossroads: Essays and Writings,” which explores the journeys and possibilities of Black women throughout American history.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Jul 7, 2025 • 14min
Everett B. Kelley joins Tavis Smiley
Everett B. Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, updates us on his union’s fight to protect its 800,000 members from the Trump administration’s unprecedented cuts and attacks.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

Jul 7, 2025 • 22min
Galen Druke joins Tavis Smiley
Galen Druke, host of GD Politics and formerly of the influential 538 podcast, breaks down the numbers in the NYC mayor’s race and tells us why Democrats need their own Donald Trump.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.