US EditionJon Stewart Doesn't Mince Words About Paramount's $16 Million Trump Settlement
UNITED STATES, JUL 7 – Paramount paid Donald Trump $16 million to settle a dispute over 60 Minutes amid its sale negotiations to Skydance, owned by Trump allies Larry and David Ellison.
- Paramount Global settled President Donald Trump's lawsuit regarding a 60 Minutes interview by paying $16 million in early July 2025.
- The settlement followed Trump's claim that the interview edited then-Vice President Kamala Harris to benefit her 2024 election chances, and it coincided with Paramount's pending $8 billion merger with Skydance Media requiring FCC approval.
- The settlement drew intense criticism from journalists like Jon Stewart and Steve Kroft, who described it as a shakedown that threatens press independence and causes fear over job security and First Amendment rights.
- Trump stated the deal was worth about $32 to $35 million including advertising, although Paramount denied any advertising commitments, and some Congress members called the payment bribery.
- The settlement raised concerns about possible conflicts of interest as critics suggest it aimed to secure merger approval from the Trump-led FCC, prompting Democratic calls for investigation and federal charges.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Donald Trump makes media politics like Viktor Orbán: he puts pressure on CBS, the parent company Paramount knocks in and then comes new owners who put the station on Trump's course. Is there anything to do about it legally?
Media Companies Like Paramount Should Think Twice Before Settling With Trump
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. Paramount Global, which owns CBS News, recently made a perilous decision to settle the lawsuit that Donald Trump brought against them last year. Trump’s suit asserted that CBS’ 60 Minutes illegally edited a Kamala Harris interview in order to hurt his chances in the 2024 presidential race. Before settling, Paramount validly argued Trump’s legal theories were meritless an…
Longtime '60 Minutes' correspondent Steve Kroft, Jon Stewart bash CBS’ Trump settlement as ‘shakedown’
Longtime CBS News journalist Steve Kroft says "60 Minutes" gave into a shakedown and its staff are devastated by Paramount's settlement with President Donald Trump.
Hastings Tribune
arcamax.comJon Stewart doesn't mince words about Paramount's $16 million Trump settlement
NEW YORK — Jon Stewart took aim at his network's parent firm Paramount Global for paying $16 million to settle President Donald Trump's lawsuit against CBS News, calling the move a payoff for approval of a pending merger.
Kroft Claims '60 Minutes' Staff Fear 'Losing The First Amendment'
Kroft Claims '60 Minutes' Staff Fear 'Losing The First Amendment' Comedy Central’s The Daily Show returned from two weeks of vacation on Monday with Jon Stewart welcoming former 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft to the program to claim that his former colleagues fear “losing the First Amendment” after mutual parent company Paramount settled with President Trump in a lawsuit over their 2024 campaign interview with Kamala Harris. Elsewhere, St…
Jon Stewart, Former '60 Minutes' Correspondent Steve Kroft Lament Trump Settlement: 'A Shakedown'
Steve Kroft doesn’t work for “60 Minutes” anymore, but he had some strong feelings about his former employer’s $16 million settlement with Donald Trump when he joined Jon Stewart Monday night on “The Daily Show” – which also falls under the Paramount umbrella via Comedy Central. “I would assume, internally, that is devastating to the people who work in a place that pride themselves on contextual, good journalism,” Stewart asked Kroft. Kroft said…
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