CNN Takeover: What Does Future Hold for Anderson Cooper & Other Stars?

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has been opening up about what the future holds for CNN following his company’s successful bid for its owners Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).

Ellison insists that CNN will retain its “editorial independence” but many viewers still fear that dramatic changes could be on the way.

Since Paramount won its bid for WBD in a deal valued at $111 billion, regular CNN viewers have been speculating about what it means for the future of the news network and its stars, such as Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper, Kaitlan Collins, Abby Phillip, Wolf Blitzer, and Scott Jennings.

As part of the deal, Paramount will acquire not only WBD’s film studios and HBO, but also its linear networks, including CNN. This has led to fears that Ellison and his team could push CNN into a more Trump-friendly news network. Paramount already owns CBS News, which has faced criticism in recent months for trying to appease the Trump administration.

Appearing on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Thursday (March 5), Ellison was asked by anchor David Faber about these concerns.

“There is certainly a perception and/or a fear perhaps that once you take control of CNN, and given the changes you’ve made at CBS [News], that you will be more beholden to the Trump administration,” Faber said, per Variety. “Can you address that — that potential fear, at least on the part of many?”

Ellison responded, “I’ve said this since the beginning, which is, you know, for, when it really comes to, editorial independence will absolutely be maintained. It’s maintained at CBS. It’ll be maintained at CNN.”

“Really, who we want to talk to is the 70% of Americans and really around the world that identify as center-left, as center-right,” he continued. “And we want to be in the truth business. We want to be in the trust business. And that’s not going to change.”

Last October, Ellison appointed The Free Press co-founder Bari Weiss as CBS News’ editor-in-chief. Weiss, who has criticized “woke” mainstream news coverage, has made several changes at CBS News since taking over, including firings, hirings, promotions, and pulling stories.

With Weiss expected to have a role in overseeing CNN once the Paramount-WBD deal closes, per Variety, fans are concerned that similar changes will be made at the network.

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Last month, Cooper announced he would be leaving CBS’ 60 Minutes after two decades. While he stated it was to spend more time with his family, sources told Oliver Darcy’s Status newsletter that Cooper wasn’t aligned with the “rightward direction” of CBS News under Weiss and Ellison.

Despite these worries, Ellison told Faber that “independence” remains the key aspect of CNN, which he described as “an incredible brand with an incredible team.”

“We absolutely believe in, you know, the independence that needs to be maintained obviously for those incredible journalists, and we want to support that going forward,” he added.

Variety previously reported that CNN employees are “devastated” by the Paramount/WBD deal. “No one is happy,” one source told the outlet.

One thing’s for sure, it’s certainly going to be a period of change at the network. Viewers will have to wait and see how this impacts Anderson Cooper and other familiar CNN faces.