CNN: Trump Officials Make Bid to Have Erin Burnett & Brianna Keilar Fired
What To Know
- Senior White House officials reportedly support Paramount Skydance’s potential acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Paramount’s largest shareholder, Larry Ellison, allegedly discussed CNN programming changes with one official if there is an acquisition.
- Other companies, including Netflix and Comcast, are also bidding for Warner Bros. Discovery, with a decision expected by the end of the year following a November 20 deadline for initial bids.
Senior White House officials have reportedly expressed their approval for Paramount Skydance’s possible acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, the company that owns CNN, according to The Guardian.
The site reports that Paramount’s largest shareholder, Larry Ellison, had a conversation with one White House official about bringing about programming changes at CNN if the acquisition happens. Specifically, there was allegedly talk about getting rid of certain talent who Donald Trump does not approve of, including Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar. In their conversation, there was also reportedly talk of who could possibly replace Burnett.
The conversation was informal, as Ellison does not have an official role at Paramount. He is a major shareholder, though, and his son, David Ellison, has been the company’s CEO since August. “It’s important to know that there’s no must-have for us,” David told investors on a recent Paramount Skydance call, per Variety.”We really look at this as buy-versus-build, and we absolutely have the ability to build to get to where we want to go.”
The Ellisons have developed a rapport with Trump after Paramount paid the president a $16 million settlement over 60 Minutes‘ interview with Kamala Harris, which he claimed was deceptively edited to make him look bad. Trump dropped his lawsuit against the program’s parent company after the settlement was paid.
In addition to Paramount Skydance, Netflix and Comcast are also putting up bids to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. A November 20 deadline was set for first-round, non-binding bids, according to Variety. The plan is for a decision to be made by the end of the year.
Burnett joined CNN in October 2011 and has been hosting her program Erin Burnett OutFront ever since. Meanwhile, Keilar started at the network in 2006 as a general assignment correspondent. She hosted New Day from 2021 until the show was replaced in 2022. Since April 2023, she has been co-anchoring the afternoon edition of CNN News Central.
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