Thug Life Army

The Rev. Al Sharpton takes the time-honored tradition of talking issues, politics and culture in African American barbershops a step further when TV One debuts "Sharp Talk with Al Sharpton" on Friday, October 28 at 8:30 PM (ET). The new half-hour talk show hosted by Rev. Sharpton takes place in Levels barbershop in Brooklyn, where policymakers, journalists, authors, sports figures, celebrities, policy experts and others, including barbershop patrons, join Rev. Sharpton in tackling a wide range of cultural, political and economic topics.

Each week, TV One viewers will be a fly on the wall as Rev. Sharpton and his guests discuss what's really on the minds of African Americans, including such topics as the relevancy of the church, hip-hop artists and athletes as role models, the impact of gentrification on traditionally African American neighborhoods, police brutality and racial profiling, African Americans and the Republican party, and how the higher earning power of women has affected traditional gender roles.

The October 28 premiere episode will focus on the topic of the role of African American fathers in raising their children, and Rev. Sharpton's guests will include Peter Holoman, director of the Male Development and Empowerment Center at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York; WCBS-TV news anchor Shon Gables and hip-hop artist and activist Doug E. Fresh. Episodes will repeat at 12:30 AM, as well as on Sunday evenings at 6:30 PM.

"Sharp Talk with Al Sharpton" is sponsored in part by Southwest Airlines and produced for TV One by The House, Inc. Executive producer is Diane Houslin and TV One executive in charge of production is Sitarah Pendelton.