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Paramount in the Political Firestorm

As Shari Redstone decides whether to pay off Trump to settle a CBS News lawsuit, and a fiery F.C.C. chair raises a potential new obstacle to the Skydance merger, David Ellison can only watch and plan for the day when—or maybe if—he finally takes control of the languishing studio.

David Ellison, Dana Goldberg
Dana Goldberg, the Skydance film executive, alongside David Ellison, the Skydance Media C.E.O. and would-be owner of Paramount Global. Photo: Amanda Edwards/WireImage/Getty Images
Matthew Belloni
February 7, 2025

If you’ve met with David Ellison lately, you’d think it’s business as usual for the Skydance Media C.E.O. and wannabe owner of Paramount Global. Since Ellison and Shari Redstone reached an agreement on the $8 billion merger in July, he’s been dutifully doing those integration meetings, learning about the scale and structure of the business, and offering his opinions as if all was going according to plan. (By the way, it’s likely gonna be more than the $2 billion in cuts/layoffs that Ellison promised.) Last week, Ellison got together again with Taylor Sheridan, the company’s most important hitmaker.