Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon guide to Puck’s best new reporting. First up today, Lauren Sherman digs into the state of the LVMH succession race as the veritable king of France, Bernard Arnault, attempts to extend his reign over the world’s largest luxury conglomerate for another nine years—creating yet more opportunities to stress-test his heirs. While Delphine contends with Dior and Antoine contemplates another Olympics, the two elder sons from Arnault’s second marriage, Frédéric and Alexandre, are starting to build their cases… Plus, below the fold: Matt Belloni chronicles the exit of longtime UTA boss Jeremy Zimmer. John Ourand uncovers the mysterious executive turnover at ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Scott Mendelson turns a spotlight on the theatrical industry’s post-Covid malaise. And Abby Livingston explores how Democrats are flirting with their own Tea Party movement on the Hill. Meanwhile, on the pods: Matt connects with Lucas Shaw on The Town to debate whether Hollywood is actually pandering to MAGA. On The Grill Room, Dylan Byers and The Information’s Jessica Lessin discuss the delicate art of audience retention. On Fashion People, Lauren dials up stylist Karolyn Pho to contemplate Jonathan Anderson’s imaginative vision for Dior. And on The Powers That Be, Leigh Ann Caldwell and Peter Hamby consider Chuck Schumer’s congressional fate after his controversial vote to avoid a government shutdown.

FASHION

Last week, Bernard Arnault took another step toward veritable immortality when he announced that LVMH would propose to shareholders (who will, undoubtedly, oblige) that he remain chairman and C.E.O. of the group until 2034. But that has only intensified the speculation over which of his five adult children are best positioned to succeed him. Lauren opens her notebook to reveal the state of play: While Frédéric’s recent appointment as C.E.O. of Loro Piana has intensified the chatter around him, his stiffest competition comes from Alexandre, who has been charged with running Moët Hennessy. Meanwhile, Delphine, currently at Dior, is perhaps the most experienced and ready of the bunch—but whether she actually wants the job is an open question. Read Now

HOLLYWOOD

In the past year alone, United Talent Agency lost the likes of Kevin Hart, Ben Stiller, Issa Rae, and Post Malone, among others. That’s one reason why Hollywood insiders weren’t surprised when the agency announced, just yesterday, that it was replacing its longtime C.E.O. Jeremy Zimmer with the agency’s president, David Kramer. Zimmer, of course, co-founded UTA back in 1991, and helped it become a renowned top-three talent agency behind CAA and WME. And yet, based on multiple conversations with UTA insiders, the board had grown especially frustrated with him recently, in large part due to his support of a handful of questionable deals, the aforementioned roster overhaul, and UTA’s strike-hobbled numbers. Is Kramer the savior they’re looking for? Read Now

SPORTS

ESPN is once again shaking up its Monday Night Football production team, marking its third director change in seven years. The network has tapped veteran Fox Sports production executive Artie Kempner to replace Derek Mobley, who took over from Jimmy Platt merely three years ago. And Platt himself had succeeded Chip Dean, who held the role for 18 years, just three years before that. With ESPN set to produce a Disney-backed Super Bowl in 2027, ESPN content president Burke Magnus told John that Kempner, whose contract with Fox Sports was expiring, was simply too good to pass up. Of course, any shift in ESPN’s NFL operations sparks speculation about Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, whom the network lured from Fox less than three years ago. Read Now

HOLLYWOOD

This was supposed to be the comeback year for movie theaters. Yet this past Friday-Sunday generated $3 million less than this same grim weekend in 2020, as the world was shutting down from Covid. So far this year, the theatrical movie industry has earned $1.22 billion, compared to $1.79 billion up to this point in 2020. Meanwhile, most other out-of-home entertainment options have returned to 2010s-era norms. So, why not movies? Well, there are the obvious culprits: the push to streaming, consolidation, the dual labor strikes, and the decline of theatrical genres, like romantic comedies and dramas, that used to mint movie stars… Read Now

WASHINGTON

Chuck Schumer’s surrender to Republicans on last week’s funding vote has sparked a dispute about tactics within the already frazzled Democratic Party. House Democrats, led by Hakeem Jeffries, have argued that the party should have held strong and gambled on a shutdown, with Senate Democrats demanding concessions in exchange for ending a filibuster. In the aftermath of the vote, Democrats are worried that the political friction will manifest on the campaign trail. But, as Abby notes, Democrats are hoping that the next Trump controversy could have a uniting effect that will make their colleagues and constituents forget their current tensions. Read Now

HOLLYWOOD

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the hottest narratives around town and give their optimistic and pessimistic views of each. These narratives include: Hollywood is catering its content to Trump’s audience; movies like Mickey 17 leaving theaters so quickly are killing theatrical films; Warner Bros. is doomed as a movie studio; and Apple TV+ is quietly becoming a hitmaker. Listen Now

MEDIA

Jessica Lessin, founder and C.E.O. of The Information, joins Dylan for a candid conversation about how The Information has thrived and remained profitable after 11 years; why deep expertise and loyal audiences are more important than chasing scale; and how she approaches backing sharp-minded entrepreneurs through recent investments in Semafor, The Ankler, and others. Jessica also weighs in on how Silicon Valley’s power players are recalibrating in the era of Trump 2.0. Listen Now

FASHION

Lauren is joined by stylist Karolyn Pho to discuss designer Jonathan Anderson’s exit from Loewe and what his vision for Dior—where he will be announced as creative director in the coming weeks—could look like. They also get into LVMH C.E.O. Bernard Arnault’s HBO-style succession plans. (Is Delphine really the Shiv of the situation?) But wait, there’s more: The duo also contemplate who could be the next Balenciaga designer, and break down Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s looks from a recent dinner date in New York City. (They also try to figure out why the couple ate at Del Frisco’s.) Listen Now

WASHINGTON

Leigh Ann Caldwell joins Peter to unpack the frustrated chatter surrounding Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who’s taking major flak from his party after sidestepping the activist base to avoid a government shutdown. Leigh Ann shares what Democrats on the Hill are saying privately about whether Schumer is actually up for the moment—and what his lack of fight-back portends for the rest of his tenure as leader. Listen Now

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