Debra Lee, BET Chair and CEO, stepping down after 32 years

Debra Lee, who is credited with reshaping BET (Black Entertainment Television), announced her retirement from the network, beginning May 28, reports the Huffington Post. Lee is said to have brought original programming to BET, especially in the last few years. No reason was given for her leaving and no successor has been named. “As a young corporate attorney I saw my role as the protector of the BET brand and its employees, and today, more than 32 years later, I still see myself as the protector and defender of a brand that I have helped to grow as a top destination for audiences across the globe,” Lee said in the announcement. She has been the face of BET for three decades, has kept the network No. 1 in the ratings with Black viewers for 17 years, according to the Hollywood Reporter. She oversaw the addition of such programs as “The Game,” “Being Mary Jane,” “Real Husbands of Hollywood” and “In Contempt.” Lee plans to keep working on corporate and nonprofit boards, and to continue her work with the Time’s Up movement and the Recording Academy Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, according to BET’s statement.