Debra Lee stepping down as President of BET Networks

Longtime Chair, CEO and President of BET – the parent company for Black Entertainment Television – Debra Lee, will be stepping down from her day-to-day responsibilities at the network.
Lee will be handing over the ‘reins’ as president to Scott M. Mills on January 1.

Lee will retain her positions as BET Networks’ Chair and CEO, and focus on cultivating the network’s engagement and relationships with communities and external stakeholders.

“BET is thriving as the #1 network for African American audiences, and we continue to see strong growth in ratings, share and social engagement,” Lee said in a statement. “As I look to the future, I believe it is the right time to take a step back from day-to-day responsibilities at BET.”

Lee joined BET in 1986 and rose to president/CEO of the network in 2005. She is is credited with bringing more quality programming to the entertainment platform. BET is currently going through a substantial growth period – earlier this year, the network announced that it would be leaving its Washington, D.C., headquarters and focus on its Los Angeles and New York operations.
The network has also signed a major deal with producer Tyler Perry, who is set to begin providing 100 hours of annual programming to BET in 2019.