Paramount executives Jeff Shell, Gerry Cardinale, David Ellison, George Cheeks, and Andy Gordon. (Courtesy of Paramount)
On Thursday afternoon, just hours after Skydance’s deal to officially take over Paramount closed, David Ellison strode onto a stage at the company’s global headquarters in Times Square for his first press conference as the new boss. Flanked by senior lieutenants Jeff Shell, Gerry Cardinale, and Andy Gordon, Ellison fielded questions from a room full of reporters.
Naturally, the assembled group of journalists didn’t ignore the elephant in the room, and the first was about Donald Trump. Specifically, whether Ellison, the Silicon Valley tech scion, had cut a secret side deal to air upwards of $20 million worth of public service announcements for causes Trump supports. Ellison responded by distancing himself from Paramount’s widely-criticized $16 million settlement over a “60 Minutes” segment, noting it had been handled by a mediator under previous leadership. The company has complied with all laws, including anti-bribery statutes, he added.
Of course, that non-answer didn’t satisfy the press corps. A reporter flatly followed up by asking: “Do you have a deal with Donald Trump to give him free...advertising air time? Is that true?" It was a yes or no type question, but Ellison did not answer it in such a manner. The Oracle heir instead insisted he wouldn’t “politicize” anything, saying he wanted Paramount to appeal to “everyone,” and that he’d already been “clear” on the matter—though he obviously hadn’t.
Still, he deserves credit for facing unscreened questions for roughly 45 minutes. But on Trump and politics, his answers danced around specifics. When I had the chance to ask a question, I first pressed Ellison and his team to go on the record…
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