There’s a change in leadership at BET.
Scott Mills, who had been with the company since 1997, announced his departure on Wednesday (Dec. 3), ending a 23-year run that saw him rise from SVP of Business Development at Viacom to succeeding Debra Lee in 2017 as the company’s president. He was the last member of senior leadership before BET’s parent company, Paramount, completed its merger with Skydance in August.
“After 23 years at BET, I’ve made the difficult decision to step down as President and CEO,” Mills said in a memo to his staff. “Leading this extraordinary brand and serving the Black community alongside all of you has been an incredible honor and privilege. Your talent, passion, and unwavering commitment to BET’s mission have driven all that we’ve accomplished as a team. As I reflect on our journey, I’m deeply proud of what we’ve built.”
He added, “When Bob Johnson asked me to join BET many years ago, I saw it as an opportunity to learn from America’s most successful Black entrepreneur. It proved to be a master class in bold vision and exceptional execution, culminating in the advent of the Black American billionaire.”
Mills helped steady BET during several uncertain times under the previous leadership at Paramount. The cable network, studio and streaming service had been up for sale on several occasions before Paramount decided to keep the assets. Once Paramount’s merger was completed, new CEO David Ellison confirmed the network was not for sale.
Succeeding Mills is Louis Carr, who has been with BET for 39 years and served as the company’s President of Media Sales. Under his tenure, he brought the company $9 billion in advertising sales to top companies such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever, McDonald’s, and Apple.
“For nearly four decades, Louis has been instrumental in driving BET’s success and cultural influence,” George Cheeks, Paramount’s Chair of TV Media, said. “His deep experience and proven track record position him to expertly guide the brand into its next era.”
The moves at BET since the Paramount merger have sparked some skepticism. Before he stepped down, Mills announced an indefinite pause on the BET Hip-Hop Awards and BET Soul Train Awards.
“We have suspended the Soul Train and Hip-Hop award shows,” Mills said in August. “But we have a team that’s actively thinking about where those award shows might best live as the media climate continues to evolve. I would say that it’s less about them being no longer and more about our team having to reimagine them for this changing media landscape that we find ourselves in.”
The move was widely criticized, particularly by those in the culture. Fat Joe and Jadakiss offered their two cents on their “Joe & Jada” podcast, summing the pause of the “Black” award shows as another form of “gentrification.”
