Overview
- A settlement announced by California Attorney General Rob Bonta cleared the final legal hurdle for Paramount to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal valued at roughly $110–111 billion.
- Citing that settlement, Swisher told her Pivot podcast co-host she has asked her agent to get her out of her CNN contract and will leave as soon as she can, saying she does not want to work for David Ellison or his backer Larry Ellison.
- CNN declined to comment on Swisher’s remarks, and the network’s current executives were described by Swisher as people she respects even as she rejects the new owners.
- Staffers and contributors at CNN are reporting anxiety about potential layoffs and changes to editorial direction under new ownership, with particular concern that the settlement’s independent editorial board may be limited in scope or enforcement.
- Observers point to the Ellisons’ political ties and past examples of weak oversight at other news outlets to argue the settlement’s safeguards may not prevent owner influence, a development that could prompt more talent departures and reshape cable news coverage.