On Thursday afternoon, I reached out to Paramount to request comment on a scoop I planned to publish in this evening’s newsletter. I had learned from a good source earlier this week that Jeff Shell had begun negotiating his exit from the media conglomerate.
After chasing and confirming the tip, I wanted to go to Paramount and give the David Ellison-owned company sufficient time to respond. The company’s spokesperson declined comment, and Shell never replied.
Conspicuously, however, about 90 minutes later, the news appeared on X via Puck’s Matt Belloni. Draw your own conclusions, but it's not the first time we've gone to an arm of the company for comment, only to see the news miraculously appear soon after in another outlet.
In any event, the news is true: Less than a year into the job as Paramount president, Shell is now negotiating his exit after being ensnared in an ugly lawsuit filed by high-stakes gambler R.J. Cipriani, who accused him of leaking confidential company information, among other things. The matter has been under internal review, and I’m told that probe is…
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Ari Shapiro. (Photo by Jeremychanphotography/Getty Images)
Status Scoop | CNN’s NPR Reunion: CNN is about to play host to an NPR reunion. The network, Status has learned, is in advanced discussions with former "All Things Considered" host Ari Shapiro for a project. That project, I'm told, involves…
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